I am Number Six
by UCCMaster
Summary: In Academy City, there are Seven Level Fives, Accelerator, Dark Matter, Railgun, Meltdowner, Mental Out, and Attack Crash. But what about Number Six, the lost Level Five? Misaka, Saten, Accelerator, and Touma dive into a dangerous adventure of hidden connections and dark secrets. When Science and Magic meet, a story is told.
1. Chapter 1

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

I'm sorta moving from Anime to Anime and each time I watch a new one, I get a new story idea. So sorry for not updating a lot of my other fics. Ruby's Buir's chapter is almost done and so is the Eevee Trainer. But I thought this might interesting since it combine some of my favorite characters from Railgun and Index.

I do not own ACMI/ACSR

* * *

November 3

Windowless Building

A certain upside down director scanned the screens, displaying the thousands of events, challenges, and experiments that simultaneously occurred on a daily basis in Academy City. Students of various levels from the powerful level fives down to the powerless level zeros wandered to and fro, teachers and professors sat hard at work preparing curriculum for their power development program, scientists scurried around their laboratories noting observations from their subjects and forming hypotheses, Anti-Skill and Judgment officers patrolling the streets looking for troublemakers and people in need, even Skill-Out members were prowling the alleyways searching for victims. Everyone was out and about, just a normal day in Academy City, peace and quiet from the recent crazy events that shook the city. Even a certain misfortunate high schooler found his day relatively peaceful. No invasions, no conflicts, even the magicians seemed lax this fall afternoon. The peace and quiet reminded the director of time long ago when scheming wasn't his priority, a time when Academy City had just barely come together, a time before ESPers were well known and common throughout the bustling city, a time before the Seven Level Fives...now that was a happy memory.

The director pulled up...or was it down? Anyways, he brought out an old Jpeg photo of three children. On the left, a grumpy albino boy grinned awkwardly at the camera, clearly trying to make an effort to look happy. On the right, a shy boy with spiky black hair glanced away from the lens while fiddling with his fingers, clearly uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving. In the center however, a cheery girl with silky black hair that fell past her neck grinned a massive smile. Her arms were slung around the two boys despite her being their junior but they didn't appear to mind. In fact it almost appeared that the two antisocial boys were actually welcoming her presence in the group. The director smiled faintly, remembering the day the photo had been taken. Those had been his pride and joy: the reason for Academy City. The original ESPers, the first Level Fives. The smallest tear slid up the man's forehead as he remembered the events that happened right after the photo...he could never forget that day.

But there were more important things to handle right now. A war was coming and he needed all hands on deck, even if it meant going through hell and back to retrieve his greatest asset. As they say, the calm is always before the storm.

* * *

Sakugawa Middle School

Outside the gates of a small middle school, a young girl waited patiently. Or rather, her entire attention was fixated on the small screen in front of her, like many teens these days. She was relatively short in stature and had shoulder length black hair with a flower headband keeping her hair in place. As mentioned before, her attention was so fixated on the screen that she hadn't noticed a familiar presence wisp up behind her before it was too late.

"U-i-ha-ru!"

The damage had been done. Said girl felt a light breeze pass through her thighs as realization of the despicable act snapped her out of her daze. "Wow," a familiar voice commented, "Going with the light blue with white stripes huh?"

Cheeks red with embarrassment, Uiharu Kazari turned around and began wailing at her best friend, a taller yet younger girl with long black hair with a single flower adorning it. This girl was Saten Ruiko, the bright, outgoing, urban legend hunting, level zero, also Uiharu's best friend. "Why did you have to do that?" The shorter girl wailed in dismay. "You know I get embarrassed at that!"

"Sorry!" Saten shrugged, "You just were so focused on your screen, I thought some fresh air might help you see nature's beautiful gifts around us."

"In other words you just like torturing me." Uiharu spat back, pouting.

"Aww, don't give me that look." The girl grinned, "You look so cute that it's hard to resist. Anyways, should we get going?"

"That's right!" The shorter girl realized, "We're supposed to meet with Kuroko and Misaka in twenty minutes!"

Before she could continue, she felt a second breeze wizz past her. "Come on, we're going to be late!" Saten called, already running before adding. "Also, keep your skirt down when you run or else everyone else will see how cute your panties are!"

"Saten!"

As they ran, the pair failed to notice a certain spiky haired boy watching the two girls. Like Saten had mentioned, the boy had managed to see a certain pair of panties. "Light blue with white stripes huh." The boy muttered as he observed the pair.

"Touma!" The boy turned around to see a certain biting nun. "Eh, it wasn't my fault. Don't assume this Kamijou was intentionally peeking at a middle schooler's panties."

Hence the biting nun lived up to her namesakes. "Argh! Fukou da!"

The pair ran through the district seven towards the meeting point. As they ran Saten glanced at her phone for the time. Her brow rose in surprise. "Fukou da!" She exclaimed, "we're going to be late!"

Up ahead, the taller girl noticed an alleyway veering off the main road. If she remembered right, that would take them near Joseph's. Going with her hunch, she turned at the junction and ran into the darkness. "Come on Uiharu, this is a shortcut!"

"Hold on Saten!" The other girl protested. "You can't just go into any alleyway. They might have…oof!"

The pair bumped into a burly figure. As the girls picked themselves up, they found themselves confronted by a group of sketchy looking men. "Well, well, what do we have here boys? A pair of middle schoolers wandering through our alleyway as if it's their own turf."

Scared, the taller girl turned around only to find their exit blocked by other delinquents. The leader, oozing of cigarettes and alcohol, approached the pair, causing the girls to step back in terror. When she found herself back against a wall, Uiharu's eyes widened in fear. Saten however glared at the group. "Hey, back off from us. My friend here is a member of Judgment and she can arrest you for assault. So you should turn away while you can." The girl squinted her eyes as hard as she could, trying to look intimidating.

Uiharu, getting Saten's ruse, nodded. She reached into her skirt and pulled out her Judgment armband and raised it for the gang to see. "Th-that's correct. You are violating our person space and privacy. A-a-a-as a J-j-j-udgment officer, I demand that you give us safe passage through." She stuttered out pitifully.

Saten literally facepalmed. "You could have been more authoritative with that you know." She sighed, shaking her head in embarrassment.

The gang leader grinned. "Oh, so you're supposed to be a big deal since you're Judgment are you? Well take this!" The man grabbed the armband from Uiharu's hand and threw it on the ground before stomping on it with his shoe, soiling the green armband. "You Judgment people are such wimps. You have no true power and think you can just boss us around like we're your minions or something. Well that ain't true here. Now boys, I think we're going to have quite a party tonight, don't you think?"

The delinquents grinned sinisterly as they began closing in around the two girls. Before Uiharu could respond, Saten placed herself before the shorter girl, her arms blocking their way. "If you want her, you're going to have go through me." She announced, closing her eyes as she braced for the worst.

"Saten," The smaller girl gasped in surprise. The lead delinquent merely chuckled. "What do we have here? One friend standing up for the other. What's that supposed to do? Make me feel bad and leave you girls alone with a small apology? This ain't some sort of shonen manga. We'll be enjoying you both, but if you insist we'll start with you first."

Saten clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the disgusting hands to reach her only to feel nothing for a few seconds. When she opened her eyes, she found the man sprawled on the ground senseless. Over him stood a teenage boy wearing a white school coat over his shoulders like a cape. He had spiky black hair and looked only two years older than her.

"Whew, it's a good thing I had so much guts or else I would have never made it here in time. Don't worry young ladies, I'm here now, so leave everything to me!" He redirected his attention to the gang of thugs, frowning. "Now sort of gutless thing do you think you were doing, trying to hurt these poor middle schoolers. That's the most gutless thing I've ever seen."

"Who the hell are you to interfere with our business?" One teen demanded, jabbing his finger at the boy. Another nodded, "Yeah, this is our turf kid, so scram before we spill your 'guts' all over the place."

The savior shook his head. "You don't understand do you? I'll show you what true guts are! You don't need some great reason. A man who isn't twisted or rotten, even if he's a complete stranger, can stand up for some school girls!" To the group's surprise, a series of fireworks exploded behind him, as if the enunciating his point. Boom! Boom! Boom! The boy raised his fist as he grinned. "Amazing Punch!"

The thug flew across the alleyway, slamming in the ground unconscious. The group's gaze went from the boy to their unconscious friend, then back to the boy. "Hey boss," one guy nudged his friend. "I think I've heard of this guy.

"They say there's this guy who goes around raving about guts and being a man. He's got some super strong ESPer power than no scientist can ever understand. What's most important is that he's not any ordinary ESPer, but a Level Five!"

The boy wound up his fist as he charged towards the group, causing many to turn tail and flee. "He's the Seventh ranked Level Five in Academy City: Sogiita Gunha, Attack Crash."

"Amazing Punch!" And with that, the remainder of the thugs flew out of the alleyway, screaming as they went. The boy watched them fly out before glancing at his fist. "Hmm...maybe I should go find them and apologize for hitting that hard. Also they should be taken to the hospital as well." He muttered before remembering the girls he had been saving. He turned around to find the jaw dropped faces of Saten and Uiharu.

The girls had watched the entire fight in shock. Saten was excited to see the legendary Attack Crash in action but after the fight all she could do was gape as her mind attempted to process what had happened. Uiharu had seen the boy in action before once at a Judgment demonstration, but still couldn't get her mind around his unexplainable actions.

"You girls ok?"

Uiharu immediately snapped out of her revelry, bowing deeply. "Yes, we're fine. Thank you very much for saving us."

"Ehh, it was nothing. Those bad men had no guts thinking they could gang up on children such as yourselves. And to think I didn't even need to use my Super Amazing Punch." Uiharu froze as she realized that Sogiita had called her a child. Just then a familiar pair of girls dropped out of nowhere.

Both wore the familiar uniforms of Tokiiwadi Middle School, comprising of a tan buttoned jumper and a checkered blue skirt with black and tan criss-crossing lines. The younger of the pair had tawny hair tied up in twin pigtails while the older had chestnut hair falling just above her shoulders. Saten recognized the pair as Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto, their close friends.

Instantly Shirai rushed up to her comrade. "Are you alright Uiharu, Saten-san? We got worried after we didn't see you in the restaurant and then someone reported seeing people fly out of the alleyway so we assumed the worst."

"I'm fine," Uiharu brushes her friend off, "Thanks to Sogiita-senpai here. He saved us."

Misaka focused her attention on the boy. "Oi, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey Third Rank!" The boy greeted the fellow level five. "I was walking down the street when my guts told me that someone was in trouble, so I followed them. It was a good thing I had so much guts or I might have not made it on time."

"Ehh?" The group started at him in surprise. "That doesn't make any sense whatsoever!"

"Anyways, I'll be going. I need to go round up those delinquents and apologize for hitting them across the district." The boy started to leave before a certain voice interrupted him.

"Hey Sogiita-senpaii?" The girls watched as a certain taller black haired girl stood meekly behind him. She bowed, blushing slightly. "Thank you for saving us Sogiita-senpai. You were really strong back there. I only wish I can be as...gutsy as you."

.

.

"Ehh!" The trio cried in shock. Not only had Saten said she wanted to be gutsy but she also was blushing. What sort of girl would like someone crazy that?

Whatever the boy had noticed he didn't mention. "Ah, it was nothing. In fact, if you keep working at it, your guts will only grow...though it's a little weird that you want guts considering you're a..." he turned around and froze as his eyes widened.

"Ehh...are you okay Senpai?" Saten managed, her cheeks slightly rosy still. But before she knew it, two strong hands had grabbed her arms harshly.

"Why? Why do you exist?" He screamed, his eyes burning in anger. "How dare you use that face to mock me? You can't be her!"

"Senpaii you're hurting me!" Saten whimpered. She hadn't expected this from her hero. Misaka and Kuroko rushed forward, taking hold of the crazed teen in a firm grip. "Please stop!"

But the boy showed no signs of letting up as he growled in her face. "You're supposed to be dead, so why do you exist? You're not First, you can't be, you damn imposter." The girls had managed to pry his hands off of Saten as she fell on her bottom. Once free, she scurried away from the crazed lunatic. However he still was rambling. "Get back over here so I can get my hands on you! You hear me? You're an imposter, you're no First!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Misaka demanded as she began sending volts into the boy's body, but to her surprise, he seemed unfazed by the currents. "Let me at her! Let me tear her apart! She desecrates First with her very being! She has no right to wear that face!" He shrieked. "I can't allow her to mock me any longer."

"Sir, you need to stop or else I'll be forced to put you down." Kuroko warned, her Judgment voice taking over. But the boy still thrashed towards Saten. Misaka's eyes met her roommate's and nodded. Kuroko concentrated before teleporting the boy in a trash can while Misaka slammed the lid on the bin, magnetizing it shut. "Uiharu, call Anti-Skill and get them over here. Tell them that we've got an assault in progress."

The girl nodded, taking out her mobile and calling the hotline. Misaka gestured to her traumatized friend. "I'll take Saten away from here." She picked her friend up off the ground. "Come on, let's go."

"R-right." The younger girl managed as the two left the alleyway.

"Do you know anything about he was talking about?" Misaka asked curiously.

The girl shook her head. "I have no clue. Something about the First? Would he be talking about ESPers? Maybe I look sort of like the First Ranked ESPer."

Misaka shook her head. "No, I've met Accelerator. One, he's a boy only a few years older than us. Two, he doesn't bear any resemblance to you. But for now, let's just get you to my dorm. I'm pretty sure we can get you cleaned up and fed."

* * *

Tokiwadii Middle School Dormitory

Saten lay on the comfy mattress, fast asleep. The girl's eyes had been red from weeping and honestly Misaka couldn't blame her. It must be heartbreaking to be saved by someone only to be assaulted by him minutes later. Especially of she had been admiring him.

"Are you sure she's going to be ok?" Kuroko observed her roommate. Misaka nodded. "She'll be fine for now, but I fear that she's going to be traumatized for life, you know? These sort of things don't go away and she'll probably remain hurt for a long time."

She clenched her fist. "I can't believe Number Seven would do something like that to a girl. It's not in his nature. I mean, sure he's insane, but he has morals. His guts has always been what drives him to do good and protect the innocent. I don't think he's ever been convicted of assault, much less towards a middle school girl like Saten." Hmm...someone who doesn't need a reason to save someone, sorta like a certain idiot she knew. If they ever met and worked together, they might solve all of Academy City's problems. Maybe he could stop Attack Crash...

"I must agree." Kuroko nodded. "I've read his records. He's been considered for Judgment several times, which is saying something considering they tend to be reckless and wild."

Misaka glared at her roommate. "Are you implying something?"

"Oh no Onee-sama! I wasn't saying anything about you being childish and wild and destructive...ahh!" Said girl crumpled to ground as the electricity buzzed through her.

"Anyways, I'm still curious about his accusation."

To anyone else but Misaka, they would have been shocked to see the electrocuted roommate get up as if nothing ever happened. Hehheh 'shocked'. Misaka shook her head, trying to erase that thought. She clearly had been spending far too much time around her Sisters. "Yes, he was accusing her of being the First. Who do you think he was referring to?"

"Well, I don't know. He wasn't talking about Accelerator, that's for sure."

Wait...if she remembered right, Accelerator and Gunha had grown up together...what a traumatizing childhood that must have been. Perhaps that monster knew something about that...but, he wouldn't just tell her off the bat. She'd need a way to convince him to tell her...wait...didn't he live with one of her sisters now?

"Onee-sama, I know that look in your eye. You're going to go investigate it now aren't you."

Misaka stood back in surprise. "Of course not! Why would you think I would do that?"

The younger girl shrugged. "All I'm saying is that we're here to help. Uiharu and I are Saten's friends too. You're probably going to be gone again like you always do. So I know the routine. I cover for you to avoid the Dorm Manager and you go off on your little adventure. Just remember to include us when you're ready."

Misaka raised her eyes to her roommate's, smiling softly. "Thanks Kuroko, that means a lot to me."

As expected, the roommate's eyes shined at the compliment. "Oh thank you Onee-sama! I will treasure your love forever...in fact I will kiss you as a...ugh!" The girl once again crumpled to a swift chop on the head. "Ugh, your whip of love kisses me yet again."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Yomikawa Household

"Misaka Misaka is so happy to see you again Onee-san! Says Misaka Misaka as she jumps for joy at the sight of her Onee-san."

"It's great to see you to Last Order-chan."

A certain albino haired teen slowly opened his eyes in annoyance at his nap being disturbed. To his surprise, Last Order, the control tower of the Misaka Network was happily chatting with the third rate original.

"Hey, what the heck are you doing here Third Rate?" He complained.

A spark popped off the girl's head as she glared back. "Is it wrong for me to visit my little sister?"

"Tch!"

"Aww, Misaka Misaka was hoping Accel would be more friendly to Onee-San. Misaka Misaka whines as she pouts cutely." Last Order pouted cutely.

Misaka, upon hearing the nickname, snickered. "Accel?"

"Shut it Third Rate!"

"Anyways, I actually came to see you...Accel." The girl couldn't but abuse the nickname for the juice she could get.

"What do you want?"

"You grew up with Attack Crash right?"

"Ehh...what does a Third Rate want to know about that? My childhood isn't exactly a kid's tale." The albino hobbled towards the girl but froze at her next remark.

"He was blabbering about some person called First. I thought you might know what he was talking about."

"You wanna know about First eh...that's a laugh." He chuckled softly. "You thought he was talking about me? Tch, Attack Crash would never call me First. He might call me Accelerator, but never First."

"Then who is First?" Misaka demanded, eager to know more.

"First, that's Storm Rider, the First Level Five ESPer in Academy City. Probably the most powerful of the seven Level Fives."

Misaka froze. "You're talking about Number Six?"

* * *

So what do you think? Sixth Ranked ESPer who's always been a mystery. I've read fics where he's been an OC or weirdly enough Aogami Pierce. So this is an experimental fic. Do you like it? Should I continue on this fic or return to Ruby's Buir and the Eevee Trainer?

Review plz

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you always!

UCCMaster


	2. Chapter 2

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

Wow, I've got so many followers and reviews! I'm so thankful for everyone who chose to favorite and follow my story, including **CrystalDawnOwO** , **Swoob** and many more!

Now to answer some reviews

Attack Crash is not a title...yeah, that's right. I'm just going to keep with it since there's no simple title for him

This is supposed to take place right after the anime ends. I'm not super familiar with the Light Novels so any information I get is off of the Wiki. Also Last Order uses the lib 'Misaka Misaka' in the English dub. While I recognize that in the Japanese dub she just says Misaka, I found it particularly helpful for distinguishing between Sisters and Last Order, so I'll being keeping it like that. As for pairings...I don't know. I have one particular pairing I want to do, but I suck at romance, look at my nonexistent love life where my friend and I argue over who friendzoned who first. So I'll keep the pairings to myself for now.

Thank you so much for pointing these things out! I didn't notice them and now I'll keep that in mind as I keep writing, especially since we're getting more Accelerator and Misaka interaction. As for why Misaka knows where he lives...I didn't think about that. I'll just make it plot armor. She somehow knew just to get the story moving. I'm an ADHD writer with a very short attention span. I typically write chapters in one or two sittings. Thus my chapters will be a little rushed as I want to getting to the ending. I'll try my best to give proper background and explanation but keep in mind that this is my major struggle in writing.

Yes Storm Rider doesn't sound all that powerful and I struggled with that. So after doing a lot of research and rewatching any major air type powers ranging from Aang and Zaheer from Avatar, Janna from League of Legends, Jedi from Star Wars, and Air elemental Toa from Bionicle, I believe I have the ideal Storm Rider.

I do not own ACMI/ACSR

* * *

Joseph's Family Resturant

"How are you feeling Saten?"

The group currently sat a certain family restaurant. It had been two days since the assault before Saten had agreed to meet up with the gang again, though she clearly was still visibly shaken from what happened. The girl managed to smile. "I'm doing better. Thanks for asking!"

However, everyone knew she still was struggling. Uiharu hadn't been skirted since the incident, whether she was appreciative that she wasn't harassing her or down that she couldn't muster up her light hearted nature was still up for grabs. Kuroko turned to her roommate and frowned. "How's she holding up?" she whispered.

Misaka lowered her eyes, shaking her head slightly. Saten's keen eyes spotted their little conversation and rolled her eyes. "Come on guys, you should be drooping because of me. It makes me feel worse that I'm bringing you down with me. Let's enjoy our time here before the weekend ends!" she smiled, tilting her head slightly.

Uiharu watched her best friend, managing to break into a grin. "It's hard to stay sad when you're so cheerful Saten-san! Maybe that's why we just don't feel happy when you're not happy."

"Aww," Saten put her hand to her heart, "That's so touching! Almost as touching as your strawberry printed panties!"

"Ehh!"

The two Tokiwadii girls observed the pair before turning to each other, smiling. Yes, Saten was back…if only temporarily. "Anyways," Kuroko interrupted the pair, "I wanted to ask you Onee-sama, what did your investigation turn up?"

The two younger girls redirected their attention to the oldest girl. "You were investigating something?" Uiharu asked her sempai.

Misaka shook her head as she waved her hands in denial. "Oh, no, it wasn't anything important. I was just curious on who the First might be. But it was a dead end."

Saten's expression drooped ever so slightly. "Oh, so we still don't know why…"

"Well…" Misaka put her finger on her chin, "The person I was talking to said something about the sixth ranked Level Five ESPer."

"Number Six?" Saten jerked forward, her previous woes forgotten as urban legend hunter mode took over. "Isn't he supposed to be some unknown person who absolutely refuses to give his identity in fear that he will be attack by an army of fangirls?"

"Ehh?" Misaka eyes widened in surprise. "No…where did you get that from?"

"On the forums of course! Number Six is one of the most popular rumors! People are always bringing up a new rumor about Number Six but none seem to correlate. Some think he's a ghost while others think that he's avoiding the public because he's hunting down the executor of ten thousand of his clones! But I personally think he's the one who cancels out other's abilities!" Saten crossed her arms, smirking.

Misaka wasn't sure whether to groan at how off it seemed or how accurate the rumors were. Yeah, she knew pretty much the secrets behind each of those rumors…well except for the ghost one. Besides, Accelerator's information couldn't be true. "Well…" she started, "He mentioned Number Six's nickname: Storm Rider."

"Storm Rider?" Kuroko cocked her head in suspicion. "That's a pretty lame name in comparison to the other Level Fives. You'd think he'd choose a better codename. What sort of powers would he have? Aerohand? That's pretty lame compared to your Railgun powers or Misaki's Mental Out ability."

Saten glared at her, "Hey, for your information, my ability was going to be Aerohand!"

"Ehh, when did you find that out?" Uiharu turned to her friend.

"Heh, heh, back when I was using the Level Upper." The embarrassed girl explained, "I could make small breezes swirl around in my hand."

"Well that figures." The teleporter scoffed, "You only knew because you cheat…" the girl stopped herself but the damage had already been done. Said 'cheater' drooped her eyes in regret.

"Hey, Kuroko, you shouldn't berate Saten like that!" Uiharu protested, but a gentle hand clasped her shoulder.

"No Uiharu," The girl said solemnly, "She's right. I cheated and I paid for it by making you all worry. I don't I ever told you how sorry I am for going off and doing something stupid like that."

"Saten…" Uiharu protested, "We know you didn't mean to hurt yourself. You just wanted—"

"—That still doesn't make it right Uiharu." Saten blurted, "It's been five months since the incident and I still haven't fully come to terms with it. I needed to get this out. Kuroko, Uiharu…Misaka, I apologize for using the Level Upper. It wasn't right and I made you worry. I'm sorry." She bowed.

The girls remained silent, trying to figure out the best way to proceed when

"Saten, don't you understand? We're your friends, whether you're level zero or level five. We've forgiven you long ago and if anything, I should apologize for not being considerate of your feelings towards your level. So, I am deeply sorry Saten-san. Please accept my apology."

Saten gasped in surprise. It wasn't every day that Misaka would apologize for something. Her pride was far too great to apologize lightly. "Err…Misaka, thank you. I forgive you…"

The two locked eyes for a long…awkward…moment. Then Saten couldn't hold it back any longer and broke into laughter, Misaka and others joining in shortly after. "Man…all this repenting stuff is making me hungry. So let's order!"

"Let's!" the remainder chorused.

As the gang began diving into their desserts, Misaka couldn't help but smile at her friends' antics. Aerohand huh? It couldn't be. That filthy murderer would never tell her the truth. Besides, even if he was, there was no way…she could…

* * *

 _Hanate! kokoro ni kizanda yume wo mirai sae okizari ni shite!_

Saten reached into her bag, pulling out her smartphone. "It's my mom. Sorry guys, gotta take this! Be right back!" she excused herself.

Uiharu watched her friend exit the café. Once she felt the girl was out of hearing range, she turned to her two friends. "So, any luck on Number Seven?"

Kuroko shook her head. "Nope, not a clue. He's still stuck with this belief that Saten is some imposter of this First."

"My investigation didn't give anything either." Misaka nodded.

"But didn't you say that your friend thought he was talking about Number Six?" Uiharu asked curiously.

Misaka's brow scrunched. "First off," she retorted, "He's no friend of mine. He just knows a few things. Second of all...he said that Number Six was a post mortem title."

The pair gasped, "Are-are you saying that Number Six..." Uiharu stuttered, "Is dead?"

Misaka nodded, "That's at least what he told me. The only they kept the title around was to respect the first ever Level Five ESPer."

"First ever Level Five?" Kuroko tried to imagine him, "He must have been pretty old. I mean, look at Sogiita and Accelerator, he's got to be older than those two."

"He must have been amazing!" Uiharu mezmorized.

Misaka let the pair continue their fantasizing about Number Six as she considered what the older teen had told her.

* * *

Yomikawa Apartment

"You're talking about Number Six?" She asked, realizing what he was implying.

The Albino shot her an annoyed look, "Really, are you still thinking in that scale Third Rate? We all know it's just a joke that isn't based off of power but understanding. But yeah, Number Six is Storm Rider, who Sogiita and I once called First."

"Can I meet him?" Misaka asked, curious of this new challenge.

"Can you meet First...no."

"Why not?" The girl glared at the boy, who only stared back unfazed.

"Yes, why not? Says Misaka Misaka as she leans in, wanting to meet the fabled Number Six. Why can't Misaka Misaka meet Storm Rider?" The little Misaka stared into the boy's eyes.

"None of your business brat!" He muttered as he pulled himself up, grabbing his cane. "I think we're done here."

"Aww! Misaka Misaka pouts as she prances around, trying to reinforce the image of a spoiled child!"

Misaka glared daggers at the retreating figure of Accelerator. "Why can't you tell me? Is he that important to you that you won't tell anyone about him? I don't know if you, but your friend assaulted my friend, saying that she doesn't deserve to look like First. This is serious."

"See if I care." Came the mumbled response.

"So what? You just going to run away from this? I can take care of this all on my own, but I just thought the Strongest Level Five in Academy City would actually have the guts to help someone."

"Shut up Third Rate!"

"Oh yeah?" Misaka snarled, "Didn't you say the ranking system was rigged? If so, why do you still call me Third Rate?"

"Shut up!"

"Why are you so afraid to..."

"She's dead alright?"

The girl froze. She had never seen this side of the boy before. His eyes were struggling not to shed tears and his body was shaking uncontrollably. "You heard me! Storm Rider is dead. She's been dead for six years. Do you understand now?"

"Accelerator," she stammered, "I'm sorry, I didn't kn-"

"You didn't know," he shot back, "Of course you didn't know. The board covered it up quickly! The only reason her title as Number Six still exists is because Sogiita and I blackmailed the board into recognizing her as a Level Five ESPer! Number Six is dead, that's why you can't meet her! Get that in your head!"

"What's going on in here?" A purple haired woman barged into the living room. Misaka immediately recognized her as the Anti-Skill captain that helped her with the Level Upper and STUDY incidents. "Accelerator, why are you shouting? Can't you see that you're scaring Last Order?"

The two turned to see the smaller girl cowering behind the table, covering her ears. Upon recognizing the arguing cease, she uncovered her ears, looking up to the group nervously. "Are Accel and Onee-sama done shouting? Misaka Misaka asks, hoping that the loud noise will stop."

Accelerator nodded, "Yes Last Order, we're done here. In fact, the original was about to leave, isn't that right?"

Misaka glared at him, but as she studies his eyes, she no longer saw signs of anger, but of concern...for Last Order. Sighing, she nodded, "Yes Last Order-chan, I was just about to go. In fact Accel was about to show me out."

The two teens exited the apartment, coming to a stop in the stairwell. Misaka's eyes were lowered in shame. "Look Accelerator...you don't have to go on. I should not have been pushy like that..."

"Tch, damn right."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it's supposed to mean. You're annoying and pushy just like Last Order." He stared off into the night sky, "But that's also why you deserve to know the truth.

"I never persay knew Storm Rider's name. Sogiita and I just called her First and that was fine. Even though I had been there first, I was still a level three when she came in. The Director had decided to keep all potential Level Fives in one place where they could observe them and try to understand our powers. Back then, the curriculum hadn't been developed yet, rather we were the curriculum. Sogiita, First, and I all lived together in a lab for a good two years before she died. *snort* Sogiita and I were so different back then. I was anti social and awkward and lonely. Sogiita was terrified of everything. But then she joined us. Her cheerful and happy personality seemed to lighten the pain of being alone. We were all each other had."

Mikoto fought the urge to coo at the idea of Accelerator being...well...happy. The albino didn't seem to notice and continued.

"She would get us to have playdates when the scientists weren't testing our powers. And don't get me wrong, she was the strongest out of all of us, yet at the same time...she never used it aggressively. You know, she used to use her wind abilities to flip up the skirts and coats of all the scientists. But make her sad and it seemed as if sky itself would weep with her. But then, it all ended one day when they brought in a new member into the group. A scientist named Gansei Kihara came forward with the idea that Storm Rider's powers could be increased ever further with the implication of some ability crystal. Up until that point, all the scientists had done was measure our abilities and let us practice it in a controlled environment. First was to go first...but something happened. Next thing we know we see a giant vortex consume the entire building. Nobody survived the experiment. After that, we were split up and soon after I began Level Six Shift in an attempt to achieve Level Six without the administration of drugs. Sogiita was never the same...and I guess I was as well."

The chestnut haired girl took in his story, trying to process what she had heard. The fact that someone could die like that terrified her, bringing her back to the Poltergeist incident. Is that what could have happened to those children if Terestina had succeeded?

"So now you know Third Rate. Are you happy now?"

Misaka bowed, "Thank you for telling me. I just have one question."

"What's that?" The boy glared back.

"How old was she?"

"...what's that mean to you?"

"Just answer the question!"

"Fine, she was two years younger than me. If she was alive now, she'd probably be In middle school."

* * *

Could there really be connection between Saten and Storm Rider? She didn't know but wasn't ready to make any conclusions just yet. First she needed...

"Hey everyone, I'm back!" Misaka snapped out of her thoughts as the long haired girl had returned. "Sorry about that," she said, grinning from ear to ear. "But that was my mom and she had some amazing news!"

"What sort of news?" Kuroko asked curiously.

"My older sister is coming to visit! Isn't that amazing?" The girl was literally jumping for joy, "I can't wait for you to meet her."

"That's great Saten!" Uiharu congratulated her friend. "Do you know when she's arriving?"

Saten froze, her cheeks reddening.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, that's the thing," Saten played with her fingers, "She sorta arriving at the airport in...an hour."

"Eeh!" Uiharu gasped. "We gotta get going or we'll never make it in time!"

* * *

Academy City Airport

Thanks to several quick teleports and a train ride, the quartet had made it to the arrivals terminal just in the nick of time. "Whew, I thought we'd never make it!" Uiharu moaned, heaving.

"Thanks Kuroko!" Misaka patted her roommate on the back, resulting in a deep blush rising across her cheeks.

"Oh Onee-sama! It's nothing to thank me for, though if you wish to thank me you can give me a passionate ki—ack!"

As the pigtail girl crumpled to the ground, Saten spotted a familiar figure. "Hey, there she is!" She cried, waving her arms to signal. "Hey, we're over here!"

Misaka spotted the girl who Saten had been waving over. She looked about two years older than her with shoulder length black hair. The girl wore a pink tank top with brown capris with a large sports back hanging from her shoulder. What really stood out to the her was the significantly larger pair of breasts that were just noticeable under the loose tank top she wore. Saten ran up to her sister.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet my older sister: Saten Itsuwa!"

* * *

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you always!

UCCMaster


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

Wow, I've got so many followers and reviews! I'm so thankful for everyone who chose to favorite and follow my story. Now for some answers from chapter 2

1\. Thanks for the spelling corrections. I'll try to keep those in mind for the future.

2\. As I mentioned before, the idea of an Aeromaster being stronger than Accelerator is still hard for me to work out as well. But stick with me and we should get some of those powers in a chapter or two

3\. My current main cast so far is Misaka, Saten, and Itsuwa. I will be adding in Touma, Accelerator, and Sogitta as part of the main cast in the next few chapters. Touma is a primary part of the cast and will play a major role in shattering Saten's Illusions later on. Supporting role so far is Uiharu, Shirai, Misaka 10777 and Misaka 10032, Index, and GROUP (we'll hopefully be getting GROUP pictures, picnics, hugs, etc). All of these supporting roles will be introduced either this chapter or the next.

Thanks and I do not own TMNI or TSNR

* * *

Sakugawa Dormitory: Saten Residence

"So Itsuwa-san, what do you think of Academy City?"

The older girl pondered the thought before replying. "It's quite nice. The air is clean despite being in the city. That was quite surprising in comparison to London."

The group had just arrived at Saten's apartment, dropping off her bags. With the sun going down in the horizon, the gang had agreed to stay at her place to enjoy dinner.

"Ehh, you live in London?" Uiharu's eyes widened in excitement, "That is so amazing! Living in such a high class city such as London must mean you are a high class lady!"

"Oh, no! Nothing like that Uiharu-san!" The girl shook her head, "London is quite simple in comparison to Academy City. Nothing there is interesting for ESPers like yourselves."

The flower headband girl's eyes turned to her best friend, who, to her surprise, shrugged. "It's no big deal Uiharu. Onee-san isn't an ESPer either, so she wouldn't understand how Level Zeroes feel in comparison to Level threes and fours."

"Oh, I'm sorry Ruiko-chan!" She apologized, pulling inwards. "I forgot you haven't developed an ability yet! Don't worry, keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll unlock your ability."

Ruiko (as we'll now refer to her as) chuckled. "As I said before Onee-san, I'm fine with how I am now. I got a taste of what I could get back then and now I'm fine either way, ability or none."

The older sister froze. "What do you mean, you got a taste?"

"Oh, she's talking about the Level Upper." Kuroko intervened, "It was an illegal drug that could enhance your abilities. Unfortunately, it put everyone who used it in a coma and Onee-sama had to save the day."

"Kuroko, you know that wasn't very appreciative to Saten." Misaka berated her roommate. "You need to be more tactful with your words."

"C-coma?" Itsuwa turned to her sister who frowned sadly. "You never told me you were in a coma!"

"I know; it was a big mistake on my part. I should have told you." Ruiko explained. "I just didn't want you to be upset that I tried to cheat my way into my ability."

Misaka realized that Saten clearly was uncomfortable about the subject. "Anyways, I'm so glad I was able to meet you Itsuwa-san! What would you like to do? Anyone else you're planning on visiting?"

"Oh," the girl smiled softly, "Well, I enjoy cooking and I also like reading about ancient lore."

"Ancient lore huh? Sounds just like Saten's love for Urban Legends." Misaka smiled.

"Haha, that's us! The hunters of legends and rumors!" Saten slung her arm around her sister, who blushed from the contact. "Although my hunting tends to be focused more around Academy City rumors. Onee-san is more focused around Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan."

"Religious studies?" Kuroko raised in eyebrow in curiosity. "Why would you study some fake made up BS?"

"Kuroko!"

"I'm just saying."

"No, it's fine. People have asked me that before." Itsuwa shook her head. "I study religious lore. The stories behind the symbols and terminology we use today. Did you know that many of our cultural customs originate from religious beliefs and customs? Many of the followers of such movements to this day follow a similar lifestyle to ours. They just believe they serve a higher purpose and authority than those on earth. In fact, how would we have a system of rights and wrongs if not for religion declaring the rules of such actions? Today's judicial system bases itself off of common sense which in turn was first introduced via a God or gods decreeing what makes sense in the world."

"Wow, that's really interesting!" Uiharu gasped. "I never thought that our history and culture is so deeply rooted in religion."

"Regardless, religion may be important to the past, but we now exist in the modern present." Kuroko scoffed, turning in disdain at her friends' interest. "We're in the age of science. Everything can now be explained through science. Religion and its little magical beliefs are just a bunch of hocus pocus of the past."

Misaka glared at her roommate's intolerant behavior, half expecting Itsuwa to join her, but the girl merely smiled softly. "I don't know Kuroko-san. You just might be surprised. The entire universe's very being is magical. Who can truly understand it? Your science might answer how things work, but it fails to answer the simple question: what is your purpose here? Why do you exist? I'm no expert, but in my studies of religion, I've found very simple and applicable answers to life's toughest questions. I've encountered many things that can't seem to be explainable by science. It's why my recent travels have taken me to London, to study the Anglican church and their reasons for the things that cannot be possible through science. A certain person taught me that just because you see something one way once doesn't mean you always have to retain the point of view."

The group remained silent for a long moment as they processed the monologue. Uiharu broke the silence as she began clapping, Misaka and Ruiko joining in as well until Kuroko eventually gave in. The older girl's face flushed red from embarrassment. "Stop, you're embarrassing me!"

"I'm sorry Itsuwa-san, it's just that that was the most thoughtful words I've ever heard." Uiharu gushed.

"That's my Onee-san!" Saten grinned as she pulled her sister into a tight hug before a devious grin arose from her face. "Say, Onee-san, have you gotten a boyfriend yet?"

The deep red blush arose from the girl's cheeks. "Ehh, why would you assume that?"

"I don't know," Saten asked innocently, "Maybe it's a sister intuition?"

"W-well, there's this one man I know..." The girl murmured, "He's such a brave man who will put his all into protecting people and keeping them safe. He's really kind and yet at the same time, so...w-well...misfortunate."

"Sounds like a certain barbaric ape we know." Kuroko jabbed.

"Ape?" Saten grinned, "Come on, he wasn't that bad. He was kind enough to return my good luck charm after the Daihasei Festival. He even offered to buy me some food to thank me."

"Arrgh! But that's supposed to be my job as Onee-sama's one and only! That ape has on many occasions done lewd things with the amazing and beautiful Onee-sama! I will not let that...that ape harass...ack!"

Said pigtailed Judgment member crumpled under the powerful chop of Misaka. "That's enough Kuroko."

"Wow, this boy must be quite nice if he offered to repay you with a meal Ruiko-chan." Itsuwa smiled, "It almost sounds like you might like him, if you know what I mean."

Without a hesitation, her younger sister chuckled, shaking her head. "By no means Onee-san. He was nice, but I think I'm more into the gung-ho 'I will brighten your day with my heroism' type of guy. Besides, we all know Misaka is head over heels for him."

Said electromaster's cheeks flushed red. "Ehh! I don't know what you're talking about! That idiot just pisses me off and drives me crazy. I can't beat him for some reason and..."

"Hold on!" Ruiko interrupts, "So it's true then?"

"Wh-what's true?"

"I heard on a forum that there's this Level Zero that defeated both Number One and Number Three. At first I didn't believe it. I mean, you're the Railgun, very few should be able to defeat you, but this is proof that he exists..." Saten gasped in realization, "Are you telling me you're in love with the guy who defeated you?"

"Oh my...Misaka-san is a...a..." Uiharu froze as she tried to think of the right word, "What do you call someone who likes being beaten up by their lover?"

"I don't know," Saten grinns, "The opposite of a yandere?"

"For the last time, I don't like that idiot!" The bolts of electricity streaked out of the girl's hair and struck the two teasing friends.

"Ruiko!" Itsuwa cried out in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it didn't hurt that much...now I know how Kuroko must feel when Misaka-san zaps her." Ruiko said, pulling herself off the ground. "Ehh...Uiharu?"

"Oh wow..." The girl muttered, still lying flat on the ground, dazed, "I've been electrocuted by an Ojou-sama! It's such an amazing feeling indeed."

"Well it's your own fault." Misaka glared at the two girls.

Itsuwa, detecting more torture on the way, switched topics. "Anyways, have you made any plans for dinner? I can cook something if you'd like."

"That would be great!"

* * *

Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant

"So what's this new request about?"

"It's a kidnapping job, but I've got a lot of doubts about this job."

"What makes it so super complicated that you would have doubts?"

"It's not about the target itself, but rather the protection that she has."

Inside a certain quiet café, a quartet of girls sat around a booth, enjoying a series of desserts. The first girl was clearly a foreigner, having pale skin and blonde hair. She wore a black sailor uniform, pleated skirt, and a matching beret to finish off the look. The second girl was more endowed woman with tea colored hair. She wore a violet dress with high top boots. The third girl was the smallest of the group. She had short brown hair covered by an orange hoodie. The final girl was a sleepy high school girl with shoulder length black hair. These four girls made up the mercenary squad known as ITEM.

"Seriously," the first girl, named Frenda Seivelun, scoffed, "What sort of protection would make you worry?"

The second girl, Mugino Shizuri, glared at the blonde. "Actually I think you'd be the one who would worry the most…Frenda."

"Hey, nothing scares me!" Frenda interjected, crossing her arms.

"You get super scared of Mugino when she's angry." The third girl, Kinuhata Saiai, grinned.

"You'd be scared of her if she got angry at you."

"But she doesn't get super angry at me, unlike your super failures to pick up after yourself."

"I'll support you."

The bickering pair turned to their final member, Takitsubo Rikou, who made no sense whatsoever.

"What's that (super) supposed to mean?" the pair demanded, only to be held back by the leader.

"Ladies, ladies, let's focus on the job at hand. Despite the protection the target has, the client is paying a lot, a lot more than most jobs would get us. So I say we give it a shot."

Frenda smirked, "I can just imagine the bonus I'd get for grabbing her first. So who's the protection? A level four? Ooh, maybe Anti-skill?"

Mugino grinned as she gave an evil eye to the blonde. "Railgun."

Upon hearing the name, the blonde froze, slowly turning her head to face her leader. "Did you say, Railgun?"

"Mmm'hmm."

"Ooh, this should be fun. I'm the only one who hasn't fought her yet. If Frenda gave her a hard time, then that means that she should be super easy for me." Saiai smirked.

"Regardless, I'll support you." Cheered on the sleepy girl.

"Despite Railgun being her bodyguard, the actual target is quite harmless, a Level zero." Mugino clarified.

"Why would the higher ups want with a Level Zero? That's super insulting to offer that much for a super weak Level Zero."

"Hey are you insinuating that I'm weak?" The blonde Level Zero spat.

"Maybe I super am." She shot back.

"We should be supporting each other."

"Shut up Takitsubo!"

"Ladies, we have a job, and I say we get it done. We don't ask questions about our job, that's why people hire us."

"Didn't you ask about the Level Six-Shift experiment?" The blonde girl interrupted.

"Frenda!" Mugino's brow scrunched as she stood up.

"Eh, heh…" The girl froze only to receive a powerful chop on the head.

* * *

Sakugawa Middle School

"Onee-san, don't worry. I'll just grab some groceries for dinner, and once I get home we can go hang out with Misaka-san." Saten Ruiko chided her older sister over the phone. The school day was over and the skirt flipping middle schooler currently was in the midst of reassuring her overprotective older sister of her safety. "Mmm…yeah, Shirai-san and Uiharu have Judgment work this afternoon so it's just the two of us and Misaka-san…mm…so I'll see you then! Bye!"

The girl pressed the hang up key to find her best friend standing before her. "Hey Uiharu, you ready for the weekend?"

"H-hai!" The girl nodded before drooping sadly, "But Konori-san is having us pull double shifts this afternoon. I'm going to be so wiped."

"Relax Uiharu," The taller girl chuckled at her friend's antics, "I'll ask Onee-san if she can make something special for the weekend to make you feel better."

Grabbing her shoulders, Uiharu could barely withhold her excitement as her eyes sparkled. "That would be amazing! Your Onee-san cooking is to die for…ahh…"

"What's this about this weekend?" The two girls turned to see another pair of girls, both around Uiharu's height and build. The first girl had short black hair while the other had brown hair pulled back by a headband. These two girls were the often forgotten classmates of the pair, Haruue Erii and Edasaki Banri.

Saten waved as they approached the pair. "Haruue-san, Edasaki-san, it's good to see you. Uiharu and I were talking about having a get together with Misaka-san, Shiarai-san, and my sister Itsuwa-san."

"Wow, I didn't know you have a sister Saten-san!" Edasaki gasped.

Haruue nodded, "Mmm…it must be nice to have an onee-san nano."

"Eheh," Saten scratched the back of her head, "Well, it's sorta tough when you have to take care of a younger brother, but I really enjoy spending whatever time I can get with Onee-san…say, why don't you two join us tomorrow for dinner?"

"Really, you'd invite us nano?" the timid girl asked.

Uiharu smirked, "Of course we would Haruue-san! And you as well Edasaki-san! You are our friends as well and we'd love to have you over with us. As a member of Judgment, it's my job to ensure that friends take care of each other. Plus, Itsuwa-sempai's cooking is amazing. Haruue, you'll love it!"

"Wow, thank you Uiharu-san." The girl smiled. "We'd love to come tomorrow. Nano."

"It's my pleasure," Uiharu nodded before her Judgment/beware Saten's skirt flipping tendencies senses alerted her to a dark, brooding presence behind her.

"U-i-har-u!" The girl spun around to find a twin pigtailed monster emitting a dark aura. Grabbing the girl's arm, Shirai proceeded to drag her away. "Come on Uiharu, Konrii-sempai won't be pleased to know you were loitering around with your friends instead of heading to your job."

"Wah! Bye Saten! I'll miss you!" The small girl cried before vanishing before their eyes.

Saten glanced at her friends. "Well that happened. I'll text you the information on where to meet and when tonight alright?"

"Hai! Nano, we'll see you tomorrow then Saten-san!"

Waving her goodbyes, the taller girl proceeded to make her way towards the shopping district. "Hmm…what to do this afternoon? I for once have gotten my homework done ahead of time and Onee-san said she was going to visit some friends she had here in Academy City. Come to think of it, I didn't know she had friends here. I wonder who she knows?"

"Excuse me, miss?" The girl turned around to see a blonde girl wearing a black sailor uniform with a dark beret. "I'm sort of lost and I was hoping you could me."

* * *

Tokiwadai Academy

Misaka exited the gates of the lavish Tokiwadai Ladies Academy and let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, I thought I'd never get out." she mutters, stretching her arms out.

"Now where should I meet up with Saten-san and her sister?" The girl wonders as she slings her bag over her shoulder and begins to walk towards her dormitory. "Maybe we'll go to 7th Mist, I need to get some shopping done anyway. Also, Itsuwa-san looked like she could use a new outfit, with her massive growth and all..."

The girl glanced down at her slowly...but surely...budding chest, her face rapidly reddening. "What, it's not like I'm trying to grow them out or something...definitely not _for_ someone." She stammers to herself as the image of a certain spiky haired boy came into her head. Now fully crimson, she shakes her head furiously. "That idiot, why I am thinking about him like that?" She shouts, letting out a burst of electricity into the air, startling the people around her.

Now furious, the girl rages on until her Gekota cell phone interrupts her rampage. Glancing at the number, she flips open the phone and raises it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Ah, Misaka, thank goodness you picked up."

Staring at the number, she responds. "Hello Saten-san, what's going on?"

"No time to explain!" The voice interrupts, "Where are you and how fast can you get to Sakugawa Middle School?"

"What? Ermm...maybe fifteen minutes, ten if I run?"

"Gah, not enough time..." The girl's voice panted.

"Saten-san, what's going on? Are you-"

"I don't know what's going on! Ok?" The voice interjected, "One moment, I'm helping this foreign girl with directions, next moment I'm being chased by what looks like the Fashion Police!" An explosion rocked the background.

Misaka broke into a jog, running as fast as she could. "I'm on my way Saten, stay put and I'll get over there as fast as I can."

She heard a sigh of relief on the other side. "Thanks Misaka. I was so happy that you picked up. Uiharu and Shirai weren't picking up and it's sorta hard to run and call when this girl's chucking bombs at me."

"Do you have any idea why they're after you?" Misaka asked curiously.

"No, I have no idea why! It's just like a few days ago with Sogiita-sempai. Why am I being targeted with such misfortune? First it's being called First, now the I'm being attacked by..." The line goes dead.

"Saten-san!" Misaka screams into the phone, ignoring the looks people were giving her. "Saten-san!"

A few minutes later, an out of breath Level Five arrives at the school only to find it deserted. "Where did you go Saten?" She mutters as she looks around for the missing middle schooler. After a minute of no luck, she gives up.

"Hmm...maybe I can track her through her cell phone signal?" The girl muses. She closes her eyes and concentrates. When in close proximity, Misaka can track specific electrical fields of broadcasting elctronics such as cell phones. Letting her senses run wild, the girl eventually detects the faint signal of a recently used cell phone. Grinning, she dashes towards the signal, praying she's not too late.

She turns into an alleyway to find it empty. "Dang it, where did you go?" She glances around until she hears a faint buzzing sound. She runs further into the alleyway only to find scorch marks painting the ground. She inhaled stiffly. "No..." Running deeper in, she finds more scorch marks polka dotting the ground and the walls. "No, no, don't let this be true. Please, don't die on me Saten!" The girl cried.

Eventually she reached a dead end. Glancing around she was about to turn around when she detected a faint trace of electricity. She looked underneath a garbage bin and found a certain black cell phone, barely functioning. "No..." The girl broke down and let out a series of sobs. She was too late. Saten was gone and it was all her fault, and she didn't even know why.

She sat there sobbing for a while until the faint sounds of footsteps interrupted her sobs.

"Better make sure I clean up the scene this time." A snarky voice sighed. "Don't want Mugino having my head do...eh?"

Misaka turned around to find a certain familiar young explosives expert, frozen at the sight of the Level Five. Sobs turned into rage. "You!"

"Ehh!"

* * *

Wow, that took a while to write. I really wanted to get a lot written quickly. It may look like I'm escalating the plot quickly, but I want to get as much written and get to the punch asap. What do you think? I think I'll be finishing this arc in three chapters or so, then I'll consider whether to keep going or not. I have outlined about four arcs. The Storm Rider Arc (this one), the Illusions Arc, the Shock Reaper Arc (still waiting for certain permissions to use an OC on this one), and the Missions Arc. I'm positive I can finish writing the Storm Rider and Illusions Arc but beyond that is simple fantasizing. Major thing **I will not be using OCs unless otherwise specified. All characters will be from the Raildex cast**. Though using lesser known characters will be a thing. As you can see, I introduced the most forgotten characters in Raildex history: Haruue and Edasaki. I kinda wanna challenge writers here to use them in their stories beyond just the poltergeist arc rewrites.

Anyways, please rate and review and feel free to critique or argue canon with me. More often than not you'll be right and I'll be learning something new. Thanks!

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you always!

UCCMaster


	4. Chapter 4

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

Wow, I've got so many followers and reviews! I'm so thankful for everyone who chose to favorite and follow my story. Now for some answers from chapter 3

Thank you **Hilem** for your support of First being an areomaster. I'm probably going to divert from the main storyline mostly due to my lack of knowledge on WWIII and my inability to write intensive action.

 **Guest** : According to my understanding, the Level Upper was a music file used to alter the brain's make up to increase calculating power similar to the Misaka Network, but since most people didn't understand it's usage, it was distributed like an underworld drug. In addition, thanks for the corrections, but I looked up on the Wiki and Kuroko Shirai is spelled so.

 **Rafael Da Silva** : in case you didn't see my pervious note, this takes place soon after the Academy City Invasion Arc. Also I use some plot armor for convenience as follows: 1. Misaka knows about Last Order and that Accelerator is taking care of her at Yomikawa's. 2. GROUP has formed up and is directly working for Allister Crowley. 3. Academy City is on the brink of war with the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. 4. Itsuwa and Ruiko are siblings (the relationship is yet to be uncovered at this point). 5. (for your case) Frenda is still alive as the Battle Royal Arc hasn't happened nor will it happen.  
Pretty much everything from now on is going to be an AU simply because I got confused from the wiki and I don't own the light novels to understand WWIII and the Battle Royal Arc.

I hope that answers everyone's questions/comments. Again, feel free to leave a comment, thought, laugh, or note for me in the reviews. Without further ado, let's begin

I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of its sister series.

* * *

District Seven: alleyway

There weren't many times in Frenda's life when she had truly felt fear. Sure, she had felt the adrenaline of panic plenty of times before. How else did she survive working for the Dark Side of Academy City? But very few times had she really been terrified to the point of breaking. All of those times either involved Mugino, whose wrath was truly to be feared, or Railgun, who's pitiful torture techniques strangely enough were super effective on the foreign mercenary. Such like now; as the blonde found herself hurled against a garbage bin, groaning in pain as electricity paralyzed her limbs.

"Now, I don't know who you are, but you clearly were involved in kidnapping my friend." The middle schooler in question began, "So, how many volts of electricity do I need to use in order to convince you into telling me?"

The blonde attempted to scramble away only to receive a full dosage of Level Five electricity. The girl opened her mouth. She didn't care if she gave away clientele information; no amount of secrecy was worth this. But as she opened her mouth, she found herself unable to speak.

The Third Rank stared at the girl in confusion. "What the heck are you trying to do? Are you mocking me?"

Eyes widened in shock, the girl shook her head furiously, but to no avail. "Maybe you need something more!"

Frenda let out a silent scream as more volts poured into her body. She needed to end this now, before the girl shocked her to death. Slowly reaching out her hand, she bent her fingers to look like she's holding a pencil.

"Oh, you want something to write with?" Nodding painfully, Frenda found a pen and a piece of paper forced into her hand. The blonde painfully scrawled a few words onto the sheet before handing it back to Railgun. Misaka took one look at the sheet before dropping it, her face paling. "No, it can't be. It can't be him!" She glares at the blonde mercenary. "You're lying; tell me you're lying!"

Eyes widened in terror, the girl shook her head. "Mmnnmm!"

"Damn it!" The girl raged, stomping the ground with her foot. She looks up at the sky, "I guess it's just like last time."

Redirecting her focus back on the cute mercenary, she frowns. "I guess I should let you go. You already told me what I want to know, and knowing your client, having Anti-skill arrest you won't help either." She mutters, "But I better not find you again, is that clear?"

Frenda nodded, suddenly finding the strength to move. Picking herself up, she dashed out of the alley in a blur, glad to be free of the torturous volts of electricity. Honestly, who would ever enjoy being electrocuted like that?

* * *

177th Judgement Branch

"Achoo!"

"Are you alright Shirai-san?" the small hacker asked.

"I'm fine…I just feel like someone has disturbed the love and power of my Onee-sama."

"Back to work you two!" a fierce voice commanded.

"H-hai!"

* * *

Heaven Canceller's Hospital

The halls, normally bustling with nurses, patients, and visitors, were empty and quiet at this time in the afternoon. Only a few select staff remained active, but the staff was not who she was looking for. Misaka glanced at her phone, it was almost dark and if she didn't hurry, she'd miss curfew. Yet, for some reason, she didn't care anymore.

"Once I get my hands on those…" she muttered darkly. For once, she didn't care what people thought of her. Someone had taken her friend…someone had stolen her friend from her and she would plunge into the darkness of Academy City if it meant getting her back. She could just imagine the tears swelling from Uiharu's face, her pillar of strength stripped away from her. Kuroko would be demanding justice but finding none. As for herself, she was going to do anything necessary to bring her back, just like when she faced Teresina Kihara.

"That name…" She hated them. She hated what they stood for, how they completely disregarded human life as precious; no, they only saw them as test subjects to reach an unreachable goal, to become the gods of the world. The fact that they had now turned their greedy eyes on her friend, a level zero was despicable.

She finally arrived at a particular door, one that she hadn't visited in a long time. Knocking softly, she waited until she heard a monotone "come in", before entering.

The room was mostly empty with the exception of a single hospital bed and a desk. The desk was covered by several notebooks, files, journals, and a single photograph depicting a group of children smiling at the camera. But sitting upright in the bed was a certain woman with long wavy brown hair. She turned to her guest and frowned.

"Railgun, what a surprise. What can I help you with this evening?"

"Dr. Kiyama, I need a favor."

The woman quirked her head slightly. "Is that so? What type of favor would you be asking of me? My current skills are quite limited here, seeing as I'm under house arrest."

"It's not what you can do that I'm after." Misaka states, "It's who you worked for that I'm after."

"Is that so?"

The girl nodded. "I remember you worked under a certain Gensei Kihara. I'm looking for him and I figured you'd know where to start looking."

"Well then," the woman gestured to a chair lying against the wall, "Take a seat, I'll tell what I know."

* * *

District Seven, Kamijou Residence

"Touma, I'm hungry!"

A certain misfortunate boy sighed as he scoured the refrigerator for anything edible, but alas, to no avail. "Hey Index," he turned a suspicious glare, "What happened to all the food I put in here last night?"

The nun stuck her head up. "Well obviously I ate it. There wasn't that much so it wasn't very filling."

Touma sighed. "How could you? I was trying to stretch that out for the entire week!"

"It's your own fault Touma," Index pouted, "You know I'm a growing girl and need plenty of nutrients to supplement this body."

"Well you need to lay back on your eating habits or else we'll have nothing to eat; like right now!"

"Then you need to get more food!" The girl spat back.

*bang* *bang*

The duo turned around towards the door. "I'll get it," Touma stood up, heading towards the door. Opening the door, he found a familiar neighbor/spy/magician: a teenage boy with spiky blonde hair. He wore sunglasses with a gold chain around his neck. Finally, his outfit was composed of an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt underneath his school uniform. This was Tsuchimikado Motoharu, the backstabbing blade.

"Hey there Kami-yan! Sorry for intruding, but could we come in for a minute?" The boy greeted his friend cherrily.

Touma raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "We?"

"Oh, there you are! Why are you hiding?" Tsuchimikado reached out to his left before tugging a reluctant teenage girl into view.

"Who are you?" Touma asked, trying to recognize the young voluptuous teenage girl before him. Then it hit him. "Oh wait, I remember you. You're that girl from the Amakusa."

The girl nodded. "Mm, I-I'm Saten Itsuwa, b-but you can call me Itsuwa." She stuttered, playing slightly with her fingers while trying to avoid eye contact.

Touma held out his hand. "Well then Itsuwa-san, it's good to see you again. Please come in."

"H-hai!" The girl stuttered as she took the boy's hand, her cheeks blushing red. "Th-Thank you for having us!"

"Well well," the spy whispered into Touma's ear. "Already calling the girl by her first name? You raise flags quickly Kami!"

Touma's cheeks blushed red as he shoved the boy into the wall. "Shut it you siscon!"

"Touma, why are these people here?" Index demanded, "You haven't even fed me!"

"Index!" Touma reprimanded, "You shouldn't be so bossy in front of guests. They're here to chat and talk. Surely you remember Tsuchimikado-san and Itsuwa-san from the Amakusa."

Index nodded proudly, crossing her arms. "Of course I do Touma. But that doesn't excuse the fact that you haven't fed me and I'm hungry."

"I-If you'd like, I can cook something for you."

The duo turned in surprise at the short haired girl, rushing up to her. "You can cook?"

Taken slightly aback by their movement, the girl nodded. "Y-Yes. I also brought some groceries to make something if you'd like."

"You're a lifesaver!" "You're a Godsend!"

"Hey Saten-san, why don't you take Index into the kitchen to help you. Kami and I need to have a talk." The spy requested. The girl nodded. "Sure, come on Index, I'm sure we can get something hot on the stove. You can help me make the tea."

"Oh wow! That sounds great!"

Touma smiled at the two's interactions before remembering Tsuchimikado's presence. "So what's going on this time?"

"Ara, ara, Kami-yan, can't two friends just hang out?" The spy joked, only to be met with a certain annoyed glare. "Alright, fine. I got a job for you and Saten-san's a part of it."

Touma remained silent, waiting for Tsuchimikado to continue.

"Anyway here's the deal: I need you to retrieve the secret weapon of the Amakusa."

"The Amakusa?"

"Yeah, supposedly, six years ago, the Amakusa Church seized an important weapon from Academy City as a precaution against the rising number of powerful Espers. Saten-san was an important member of the guard protecting it, or at least that's what she's told me. But less than four hours ago, members of the Science side took back the weapon and is holding it somewhere here in Academy City."

"Wait," Touma interjected. "So you're saying that the Amakusa Church stole something from Academy City?"

"That's what they say. I'm not entirely sure what exactly they took; Saten-san won't tell me, but it's powerful, equivalent to the power of a Saint or at least a Level Five, or so she says."

Touma considered the idea of the Amakusa having a Saint level artifact in their arsenal. Hold on, two, if they included their patron saint Kanzaki. The idea that religious organizations would seize weapons away from Academy City was not entirely new to him, but still surprised him nonetheless. "So you want me to get back this weapon for Itsuwa-san."

"Or at least help her. This will be a job for both you and Index, since her knowledge of magic will come in handy in disabling any magical defenses you can't deal with yourself. I'll be trying to get you some reinforcements but it will mostly be you, Saten-san, and Index.

"But Kami, this is really important. Seizing Saint level artifacts from a church is a major crime and if word got out to the Anglican Church, who the Amakusa are affiliated with, it could spark a war between Magic and Science."

"Do we even know where this artifact is? I mean, Academy City is huge."

"Supposedly Saten-san placed a tracker on it. She knows where they're keeping it. Kami, be careful. From what I could pick up, you're dealing with the Khiara family."

Touma's brow perked up at the name. "The Kiharas? Aren't they the most well known group of scientists and researchers in Academy City?"

"That's right," Tsuchimikado nodded, "They're also involved in some of the most despicable experiments in Academy City, including the Level Six Shift and Radio Noise. They have no respect for humanity and won't hesitate to experiment on humans if it means getting a result. They're protected by the Board of Directors so we can't involve Anti-skill or Judgment in matters like this. It's literally up to us to retrieve the weapon."

Touma digested the information given to him. "Right then, when do we strike?"

"Give me some time," The spy patted him on the back, "But you, Saten-san, and Index will be moving out tonight."

"That soon?" Touma asked curiously.

"I know, it seems a little soon, but time is of the essence. We need to get the weapon back before the Anglican Church finds out and sends their own magicians to deal with the issue. That alone could spark a war. Saten-san just happened to be conveniently nearby to come to us for help. Which brings up my next point."

He leaned in close to the boy's ear, speaking in a quiet tone. "There's something aloof about Saten-san. Her convenient positioning for all this to happen is suspicious. Not to mention I don't know what this weapon is and she refuses to share information on it except its degree of power is disturbing. That's why I wanted Index to go with you so you're not alone with her. Keep a close eye on her and try to find out the Amakusa's true agenda in this all."

Touma nodded. "Sure, I'll trust you this."

"Right then," the boy turned towards the kitchen. "It smells like supper is ready. Shall we?"

* * *

Yomikawa Residence

"What are we going to do for supper asks Misaka Misaka as her stomach grows hungrily?"

"Shut it you brat!" The albino teen chucked a couch pillow at the pesky child.

Said pillow slammed into the girl, causing her to fall on her bottom. "Ouch, that hurt! Misaka Misaka cries as she tries to make some fake tears to gain sympathy." The girl cries, rubbing her eyes in a vain attempt to generate tears.

"Yeah, yeah, why don't you bug Yomikawa instead?" The teen rolled his eyes. Honestly, there were times when Last Order really did bring him to the end of his fuse.

"Aww, but Misaka wants you to take Misaka out for supper! Misaka Misaka whines, tilting her head to show affection." The girl tugs on the boy's shirt.

"Hey Accelerator, you've got some visitors." A loud voice interrupted their conversation.

The teen raised his brow suspiciously as he slowly pulled himself off of the comfy couch he had been resting on. Grabbing his crutch, he slowly hobbled towards the door, half expecting that third rate brat to be waiting for him. To his surprise, and slight relief, his visitors manifested themselves as a familiar backstabbing spy and a certain Move-point master he had previously slammed into a building.

"Hey there Accel-kun!" Tsuchimikado greeted the albino. "Mind of we come in?"

"What the hell are you two doing here?" The teen responded flatly. "Don't tell me it's another one of those GROUP outings, or even worse, a GROUP picnic?"

"Thankfully not." The red haired teleporter Awaki Musujime sighed in relief. "We got an actual job."

"You might as well come in if you don't mind three annoying women in the house." The Level Five muttered as he hobbled into the living room. Slouching on his favorite couch, he resumed his signature glare at the two. "So, what's this job about?"

"Ooh, you have a job? asks Misaka Misaka curiously, popping out from behind her beloved Accel-kun!" A small girl popped out from behind her...er...beloved...savior. "Can you tell Misaka about it?"

"Shut it you little brat! This isn't any of your business. Go back into your room and don't listen in!"

The girl whimpered slightly. "Aww, but Misaka wanted to know more about your job! Whines Misaka Misaka. First you don't tell Misaka about Number Six, now you won't tell Misaka about your job? This isn't fair! Pouts Misaka Misaka, shaking her fists in an attempt to reinforce the image of a spoiled child."

"Wait, you knew Number Six?" Awaki interjected.

Accelerator shot Last Order a glare, before sighing. "Yeah, she's dead. That enough for you?"

The duo were taken aback by his bluntness. Tsuchimikado nodded slowly. "Right then. Last Order-chan, if you could give us some privacy, that would be greatly appreciated."

"Ok, Blonde hair-kun! Says Misaka Misaka, happy to have been acknowledged nicely unlike her Accel-kun!" And with that, the girl skipped off.

Accelerator shot the spy an annoyed look. "You just had to go and do that." He muttered.

"Hey, little sisters are precious, you should know that." The siscon defended himself.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say."

"If you boys could get back on track, we got a job from the higher ups." Awaki interjected.

The spy nodded. "That's correct. These orders came right from the Superintendent himself.

"He wants us to guard a certain facility for the week. He's got some important experiment going on and doesn't want any interference or interruption. I'm not entirely sure of the details, but it sounds like they're trying to figure out how to raise Esper levels quickly."

The albino nodded. "Right, so where do we come in?"

"Awaki will be teleporting you in while we take the border patrol. Also he made a point not to look into the experiment files."

"Right, confidentiality and all that crap. Anything else?"

"Don't treat this like a joke." Awaki reprimanded him, "This is an important job from the Superintendent himself. Both of us have met him and he's not someone you should take lightly. Just get in there and keep intruders out alright?"

"...Right..."

A few minutes later, Accelerator closed the door of the apartment behind him. This was going to be a long night.

Little did he know, inside a certain little girl's room, faint muttering could be heard. "Yes, yes, Accel-kun is going to be needing our help. Preparations must be made in that case! Misaka Misaka says, agreeing with the network!"

* * *

District Seven: Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory 7

It was well past midnight when Misaka Mikoto finally arrived at her destination. Kiyama's information on known Kihara research facilities was vast and expansive, yet wasn't quite close enough to get a specific location. Instead, she had spent the night checking each facility on the list. Finally, she had found a facility that was still functioning...and what do you know? It had to be this one. It felt as though fate was taunting her, jeering at her, daring her to break. For this was the facility that, all those years ago, Misaka Mikoto had been tricked into giving up her DNA map, thus leading into the development and slaughter of her Sisters.

"This has got to be the place." She glanced at her phone, "I don't have much time. Who knows what those freaks have done to her by now?"

Seizing control of the static electricity around her, she scampers over the perimeter wall, slowly making her way towards the back door...only to find a series of destroyed security robots.

"What the..." She muttered, examining the wreckage. Who would do something like this? Why would they just randomly attack security...then it made sense. She wasn't alone. Someone else was here and they too were after her friend.

She dashed into the building, finding more wrecked robots and machines. As she moved forward, a sudden peppering sound stopped her in her tracks. "That sounds like..." Where had she heard that sound before? That's it, it was gunfire! Wait, gunfire? "I've got to hurry!" She muttered as she resumed her mad rush to find her friend.

She turned a corner only for a strong hand to clamp itself over her mouth and yank her back. She struggled fiercely against the hand only to be stopped by a familiar voice.

"Biri Biri?"

* * *

So what do you think? That escalated quite quickly. As I said, this arc should be done in two more chapters. I apologize if Awaki was OoC, since I'm not super familiar with her character. Again I brought in a bunch of lesser used characters such as Dr. Kiyama. Also note that to those who don't know Ruiko, Itsuwa is Saten-san to them, so don't get confused when I say Saten-san.

Next chapter: surprise encounters, awkward reunions, and hopefully some awesome action…hopefully assuming I can write the action out well. Combat writing isn't my specialty in comparison to humor and monologues.

Anyways, please rate and review and feel free to critique or argue canon with me. More often than not you'll be right and I'll be learning something new. Thanks!

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you always!

UCCMaster


	5. Chapter 5

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

Wow, I've got so many followers and reviews! I'm so thankful for everyone who chose to favorite and follow my story. Now for some answers from chapter 3.

 **Cyres** – Thanks for the comment! Feel free to give your thoughts and opinions!

 **Guest** – Ok…thanks for your…input. *I'm taking a lot deep breaths here in an attempt to keep my cool* Thanks for your corrections on Therestina Kihara. I'm not going to be super nitpicky about which order I put the names in. I'll try to keep to the Last Name First Name style but I can't always remember that since I write as I tell it out loud. Remember I first watched the series in dubbed form so Railgun was Mikoto Misaka rather than Misaka Mikoto. Also note that I don't have any obligations to go back and reedit a chapter unless I feel like it's lacking severely in terms of actual content. I've learned to overlook other writer's small typos and grammatical mistakes unless it's so numerous to the point that you can't read it without getting confused. What you're doing, while critical, is not constructive. Demanding chapter rewrites in such a short message can be seen as an equivalent of **FLAMING** a major no no in fanfiction. If you continue to critique without constructive advice, I'll begin treating your reviews as flames and promptly delete and ignore them. So please be more civil in your critiques.

Again I do not own TMNI

* * *

District Seven: Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory 7

"Biri Biri?"

Misaka froze at the voice. No way, it couldn't be him. Why would...that idiot be here? But sure enough, she was spun around to find the surprised face of that spiky haired idiot. The one who she couldn't beat, the one who treated her like a nuisance...but also the one who wanted to protect her smile, to protect her sisters and their individuality. Why was he here?

The boy stared at her in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Misaka tried to answer but then remembered the firm hand placed over her mouth. That idiot dared touch her right...there...where...it sorta...felt...eh...Swiftly freeing herself from his grasp, she spun around in an attempt to hide her growing blush. Why in the world was she thinking like that? Argh, she hated it. "What in the world are you doing here?" She demanded.

"That's what I was trying to ask you!"

"Answer my question you idiot!" She spat back, adding for extra measure, "And keep your hands off of me!" She was so mad, sparks were flying off of her.

"Sorry," the boy took a step back instinctively, his damned right hand ready to intercept any sudden attacks, "I was curious why a middle school ojou-sama is sneaking around at night."

Cheeks reddening in rage, she spat back "Ehh...what did you call me? I dare you to say that one more time!"

The idiot was about to respond when another voice interrupted her. "Touma, Saten-san is done dealing with guards up ahead, we can move o...what is Short Hair doing here?" Misaka recognized the nun from the battle with those armed gunmen. What in the world were the two of them doing here? Last time they had met, they were trying to save their friend. Could they be trying to save Saten? Then she remembered the insulting nickname the silver haired nun had given her.

"Short Hair?" She glared at the misfortunate boy, "Is that what you told her to call me?"

"Ehh...no, not at all!" The boy shook his head furiously, "She came up with that all on her own biri biri."

"There you go with it again. I have a name you know. It's Misaka Mikoto!" She yelled furiously.

"What's going on here?" The trio turned to see a shocking sight. Misaka literally went dropped her jaw. Standing before her was none other than Saten Itsuwa, armed with what looked like a tri-prong spear. "Misaka-san, what are you doing here?"

"Itsuwa-senpai? Why are you with this idiot? How do you two know each other? And what the hell's with that spear?" She ranted, confused and tired.

"Oh that's simple!" Index began, "You see, we met Itsuwa through the Ama-" Her sentence was cut off as a firm hand clamped over her mouth. "Eheh, Itsuwa-san and I met a few months ago, right Itsuwa-san?

The older girl nodded rapidly, clearly trying to think up of some explanation. "Oh, well, I met Touma and Index last time I was here." She clarified.

"Ok," Misaka frowned clearly not believing them, "So why are you two here? I can answer why I'm here. I'm here to rescue Saten-san. But why are you here?"

"Eh, but she's right here." Touma asked in confusion.

"Oh, she talking about my sister, Ruiko. She lives here." Itsuwa explained.

"Ok..." The boy nodded before an 'ah-ha' moment hit him. "That's right, I remember meeting someone named Saten-san back at the Daihasei Festival. She was your friend if I remember right."

He frowned, "But why are you rescuing her? Nothing's here except for some artifact Itsuwa wanted us to steal."

Misaka cocked an eyebrow. "Artifact? Wait, how did you know your sister was here anyways? I found out through my contacts, but you're new here."

Touma considers everything he's heard, turning back to the black haired girl. "What's really going on here Itsuwa-san?"

The girl froze, then sighed, lowering her head. "I guess I can't really hide it much longer. I'm sorry I tricked you Touma-san. We're actually here to rescue my younger sister, Ruiko-chan. This afternoon, she didn't come home and when I got her message about being chased, I began tracking her down. But when I found out she was here, I got Tsuchimikado-san to contract you to help me rescue her. I'm sorry Touma-san." She bowed in apology.

The boy and the nun nodded. "It's fine Itsuwa-san." Touma forgave her, "I just was confused why you didn't tell me about her in the first place. I would have helped regardless. But for you to make up all that stuff about the Amakusa artifact and Saint-level destruction and a war between science and magic was unnecessary."

"But that's all true!" The girl interjected, "Ruiko-chan is a Saint-level threat and her kidnapping could cause a war between Science and Magic!"

"What?"

Misaka was stunned. This wasn't the first time she had seen this 'magic' side. That lady's golem was definetely not an Esper power and neither was the invader of Academy City. But for Itsuwa-sama to be a magic user was surprising. Did that make Saten-san one as well? But she was a Level Zero! On the other hand, Itsuwa seemed to be calling her a 'Saint' level threat.

"Listen," she finally interjected. "I don't know what's going on. Itsuwa-san, you have a lot of explaining to do, but your sister is here and we don't have time to be arguing. Let's rescue her and I'll guarantee you that you'll be explaining everything to us afterwards alright?"

Smiling fainlty, Itsuwa nodded. "I promise Misaka, I'll tell you everything. But you might not like what you hear. If you're willing to face that, then I'll tell you everything."

"Deal!"

"Alright then, let's go! I'm picking up some odd magical fields up ahead!" Index interrupted impatiently.

Misaka entered the room to find a series of black armored figures scattered haphazardly across the room. The girl's face paled as she recognized them as the gunmen she had fought previously. "What happened to them?"

"Oh, I dealt with them." Itsuwa replied uncarringly.

"Oh alright..." Misaka nodded, the realization not quite hitting her yet. Then it hit. "Wait, you did this?"

Index bobbed her head. "That's right! Itsuwa is a trained Amakusa magician! You should have seen her in action."

"Oh please, it wasn't anything special." The girl timidly replied, embarrassed, "Can we please move on?"

Misaka tried to grasp her mind around the fact that Saten-san's older sister just took out a group of trained mercenaries with just that spear. And she wasn't even an Esper!

The quartet followed Itsuwa deeper into the facility. However, other than those Hound Dog members, they hadn't encountered any other resistance. Where were the security guards?

* * *

Outside

A patrol of armed men examined the remains of the destroyed security robots. Armed to the teeth with IMI Tavor TAR 21 bullpup assault rifles, mines, and combat knives, these were the elite black ops troops of Aleister Crowley. The first soldier turned to his superior. "Sir, they definitely went in this way. Should we pursue?"

The commander nodded only to be interrupted by a cool voice. "That won't be necessary."

The squad spins around to find a girl with red hair standing a few feet away from them. Quickly raising their rifles, the first one demands. "Identify yourself!"

"My name is Musujime Awaki," the girl grins, "A member of GROUP. Now, you have new orders, leave or die."

The first one takes aim. "Like hell we will—ack!" He crumples to the ground, blood spewing from a wound in head. The troops step back in confusion. How in the world did he just die? There was no gun or bullet they could see. "What the hell did you just do?" The commander demanded.

"Oh, I just put a corkscrew into his brain." The girl replied nonchalantly. "And since you've refused to come quietly, I guess you'll all have to die."

The commander pointed his rifle at the girl. "Die you bitch! Open fi-!" The officer never finished his line as his head jerked back, a bullet piercing his skull.

"Sniper!" One yelled as the rest scattered, searching for cover. One Hound Dog found dashed behind a door only to find the barrel of an FN F2000 assault rifle pointing at his chest.

"Bang, says Misaka as she opens fire without sympathy."

The mercenary dropped dead before the teenage clone. Musujime grinned as the rest of the Dogs fell.

"Well, that takes care of that." Tsuchimikado noted, walking up beside the teleporter. "That should ensure that Kami-yan finds her without interference. Good work ladies."

"The Sisters are always willing to help out the Savior. Says Misaka 10032 proudly as she examines her handiwork." The first Misaka sister responds, a heart shaped necklace hanging from her neck.

"This Misaka wishes the Savior could see what this Misaka done for him, complains Misaka 19090, wanting to gain points with the Savior." Another girl drops from the wall, a Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle slung over her shoulder.

"Are they all this smitten over him?" The teleporter groans.

The spy chuckles. "Once you meet him, you'll see why Kami-yan is the Harem King. Anyways; ladies, form a perimeter around the building and don't let anyone in until Kami-yan has escaped."

The girls nod before moving out. The teleporter turns to the spy. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I have no idea." The spy retorted. "All we can do is hope the Superintendent knows what he's doing and follow his plan. Now come on, we've got some bodies to hide."

* * *

Back inside

"Doctor Kihara, we've seem to hit a stump in the subject's ability growth." An elderly man wearing a white lab coat turned to face his assistant. He had receding grey hair and had a tendency to hunch. He opened an eye slowly.

"Is that so?" Kihara Gensei asked. "Hmm…so the synthesized networking didn't work this time. It's almost as if Level Upper victims become immune to the effects of the system after being exposed once. Don't worry though, we'll give him a Level Five, one way or another."

The assistant bowed, "Yes sir. We'll get started on the next method right away." He hurried away.

Kihara turned back towards the window overlooking the lab, a single pod in the center. In that pod was his greatest failure, yet at the same time, his first time at a second chance. A single girl lay inside, unaware of her surroundings. This would his chance, his chance to prove that Level Six was a possibility. Well, first she had to gain an ability. So far, nothing had worked. But Kihara Gensei was not one to give up easily. "I'll get your level five. Not to worry." He muttered.

"It seems you are already out of time doctor."

The man turned to a computer screen, an upside down face frowning. "But Director, she's not ready yet."

"Your methods are clearly not working."

"But they will be," the man protested, both eyes opened now. "Give me more time and she'll be a Level Five."

"It matters not. The reason your methods aren't working is because you are dealing with something that simply cannot be explained by science. I wanted to you try to see if you could, but I had no expectations of you succeeding. So it's time to use another approach. You are to evacuate your staff and yourself before my visitors arrive. None of them are particular fans of yours and wouldn't hesitate to put you down. My guide will provide you with transportation."

The man sighed, lowering his head with his eyes closed. "And of Accelerator?"

The superintendent remained emotionless, his eyes observing the screen showing an albino teen standing over the pod, motionless. "Leave him. He'll know what to do." And with that, the screen flickered out. The old man frowned, keying in the evacuation orders to his staff.

* * *

Central Chamber

"The power of heaven is always represented by the sun. Even in the depths of the earth where no light reaches, there is nowhere the Lord's power cannot reach. Purify our peril with light as bright as midday!"

"White Explosion!"

The reinforced doors of the central lab blew apart as an explosion of pure whiteness blasted through them. A tall girl with short black hair ran into the room, spear drawn.

"Clear!" Itsuwa called back into hallway. Joining her, Misaka, Touma, and Index entered the silent chamber.

"So that's how magic works?" Misaka examined the remains of the door, impressed. Magic could do all that? "Not bad, but did you really need to chant all that stuff?"

"Most simple spells either are premade or have artifacts used to speed up the process." The nun explained matter-of-factly, clearly proud of her knowledge of magic. "However, Saten-san used an advanced dual layered explosion spell, so she chanted it while drawing the circle on the end of spear to ignite the spell."

"You could have just said yes she did." Touma muttered, somewhat tired of the girl's long explanations.

Index pouted, "Shut up Touma, Short Hair was clearly interested in magic. Of course I needed to go in depth about the mechanics of the spell."

"Actually, I just wanted a simple answer." Misaka corrected the nun, for once agreeing with the idiot. "Yes or no would have worked just fine. And what this about me having Short Hair? Short hair is a convenience."

"Yeah, just like shorts." Touma added, quickly raising his hand to negate a burst of electricity from the annoyed middle schooler. "Hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing to the pod.

The quartet ran over to the pod. Itsuwa peered inside and gasped, for inside, a certain sleeping level zero lay, a peaceful expression on her face.

"Oh my, it's her." She managed, tears slowly falling from her eyes as she put her hand against the pod.

The nun peered inside. "So this is the girl we're saving this time Touma? She's cute."

Misaka couldn't avert her eyes from the sleeping face of her friend. How dare the higher ups of Academy City impede on the life such an innocent young girl? Saten was always so cheerful, happy, and full of life. To see her in so quiet and pale was appalling. She clenched her fist in rage. "She doesn't deserve this…"

"Let's get her out." Touma decided, the rest consenting. Misaka ran over to the nearest console she could find, hooked up her PDA to it, and with a bit of electricity, hacked in. Within a minute, the pod hissed as its translucent cover recoiled.

Itsuwa rushed forward, hovering over her sister anxiously. "Ruiko-chan?" she called, desperately searching Ruiko for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt one, but the girl still remained asleep.

"Let me try something." The electromaster decided to intervene, placing her hand over the sleeping girl's forehead. Focusing, she streamed the slightest amount of electricity into her brain, just enough to jolt her system. To Misaka's surprise, the girl jolted upwards, slamming head first to Misaka. She fell backwards until she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms catch her. She let out a sigh of relief.

The now awake girl rubbed her forehead in pain. "Aww, that hurts like crazy." She moaned as she rubbed her eyes. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Ruiko-chan!" Itsuwa cried in relief as she wrapped her arms around her younger sister.

"Onee-sama!" the sister replied, "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you. Do you know how worried I was when I got your call?" Her older sister moaned as she squeezed Ruiko tightly. "I'm just glad you're alright."

The girl's eyes lit up as she smiled. "Thanks Onee-san." She grinned until she realized the rest of the people in the room. "Ehh, Misaka-san, Kamijou-san, what are you doing here? And why are you holding each other like that?"

"Ehh?" Misaka asked until she realized who's strong and muscular arms were holding her. Her face lit up in embarrassment as bolts began to cackle around her.

"Ehh Biri Biri, why are you streaming volts like that? Ah!" The misfortunately dense boy cried as he pushed her away before he could get electrocuted.

"Get your hands off me you sick pervert!" She exclaimed furiously.

"Touma!"

The boy cocked his head behind him to find a certain biting nun. "Eh, this isn't what it looks like Index, trust me, this Kamijou is by no means a per—Ack! Such Misfortune!"

Ruiko giggled as she turned to her sister, who was blushing furiously at the sight of the pair. "Onee-san, is that the man you were talking about?"

"Ehh, oh no not at all. Nothing of the sort! I don't like Touma like that. I mean he's alright and all but at the same time he's such a strong and caring hero and…" Itsuwa quickly responded, raising her hands in a vain attempt to show innocence. But her words were not lost on the observant young sister who grinned. "Oh is that how it is?"

Then the thought hit her. "How in the world did you find me?"

Misaka returned her focus to her friend. "I found the mercenaries who kidnapped you and with Dr. Kiyama's help, I figured out where you were being held." She explained. "But that doesn't explain how Itsuwa found you. In addition," she glared at the older girl, "Itsuwa-senpai, I think you owe us an explanation."

"What?" Ruiko turned to her sister. "What is Misaka-san talking about Onee-san?"

Misaka jabbed her finger at Itsuwa. "She knew you were taken and how to find you. She knows something we don't about you. And I want an explanation, now!"

Ruiko was stunned. "Is this true Onee-san?"

Her sister lowered her head, unable to make eye contact. Ruiko gasped, appalled at this betrayal. "How could you Onee-san? You're keeping information away from me? In fact, why in the world was I taken? This doesn't make any sense! I'm just a Level Zero. I'm nobody special but people keep treating me like I'm some sort of big deal. First Gunha-senpai attacks me, calling me 'First', then I'm getting kidnapped by some crazy scientists. What's going on? Onee-san do you know why? Please tell me!" Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks as she raged.

Misaka sighed, clenching her fists. "I have a theory, but I don't know if you can handle it."

"What do you mean I can't handle it?" the girl in question blurted, "How can the truth be so bad? I just want to know about me, alright? People are hiding things from me and I hate it. You don't know how it feels to be desperate Misaka! I want to know, ok?"

"Saten," Misaka cracked, trying to maintain eye contact, "I think you're a Level Five. You're Storm Rider; Saten-san, you are Number Six!"

* * *

Damn, that took awhile and a lot happened here. I as said before, I'm really moving forward quickly here since I want to get to the next arc ASAP. Here's a few things I would like your thoughts on

1\. Saten's Number Six. This should have been pretty obvious from the start. I mean, Gunha practically blurted it out from the start. So what's your thoughts? I sorta have destroyed the original concept of Saten, which was her Level Zero. It's what makes her unique and I'm feeling guilty that I'm robbing her of her reality. It's why I couldn't ship her with Touma in this story. As quoted from Never the Twain Shall Meet, with great power comes not only great responsibility, but also great headache. Touma is more likely to choose someone who wouldn't beat him up if he got her bad side than someone who shocks him every time he messes up. It's one of the main reason why I don't ship Touma with Misaka or Index, more preferably I ship him with Saten, Misaki (sure she's a level five, but she's nonviolent), and my personal favorite Othinus (for different reasons). But now I'm rambling: My original question was **how do you feel about Saten being Number Six?**

2\. Itsuwa's character. She doesn't show much in the anime and I haven't read a lot on her character in the books. Wiki doesn't give much detail on her personality either. So how did I do? Is she too OoC? Sure she should be a little since she's Ruiko's older sister but how close or far was I from her original character?

3\. Misaka's relationship with Touma. Am I going overboard with her Tsundere and blushing towards Touma? Or am I not doing it enough? BTW Touma x Misaka is still uncertain for this story.

4\. GROUP, I introduced GROUP in this story since I've loved them ever since I read the 4Koma fic about GROUP Hugs, GROUP picnics, etc. While Accelerator will have a major role in Saten's future growth, understand that for the most part GROUP (And ITEM) will be my primary comedy relief. As for SCHOOL? I have very little knowledge when it comes to Kakaine, so don't expect me to put him in. But everyone else (Misaki, Mugino, Gunha) will be having appearance in the future. **Any requests in terms of interactions between Saten and other Level Fives?**

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you always!

UCCMaster


	6. Chapter 6

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

So I said that I was going to finish the arc this chapter...well I got carried away and will need another chapter to finish it, which feels more appropriate seeing that I have a lot of reunions to make happen. Anyways, my style of writing is all about the connections and conspiracies. I will do anything in my writing and reasoning power to make connections between two normally never meeting characters. Ex: Saten and Itsuwa, Accelerator, and Gunha. Anyways time to answer reviews from chapter 5!

1 – Welcome **Darkbetrayer**! I'm a huge fan of your fic and love where you're taking it! Now all I need is for MrQuestionMark to review my fic and I'll have both of the bigwig writers in the fandom reading my fic lol. Anyways, to answer your comment, yes you are right! That's all I can say. I agree wholeheartedly with your reasoning and Saten being a Level Zero is her charm. So what happens when you take that away? I'm going to find out in this story. Note that because she's now a Level Five, she will slowly deviate away from her normally cheerful personality as the stress and pains of being one get to her. Also I'm not shipping her with Touma, as much as they're my favorite ship next to Othinus Touma Pairing (OTP).

2 – **Guest** , do me a favor and make yourself a account so I can properly cite you. Just kidding. Yeah, I get what you mean and I apologize. I was in a bad mood irl when I read your comments previously and I sorta took it the wrong way. Anyways, if I have spare time, I'll go back and take a look at some small grammatical fixes and inconsistencies in the previous chapters. Yeah, you weren't flaming. Don't worry man (I think), you good.

Again I do not own TMNI

* * *

 _Eight Years Ago_

The laboratory was dimly lit when the boy walked in. A series of machines lined one wall while a large screen of glass covered the opposite wall, giving the viewers a complete view of the room. It was chilly, but to the boy's surprise, a breeze resonated throughout the room.

The boy sighed as he took a seat on the floor next to the door, resigning himself to simply laying his head back in an attempt to get some shut eye. He was oddest nine year old boy in the world, having white hair, pale skin, and a bored face. Closing his eyes, the boy reached out his finger to feel the breeze. A moment later, he reversed the vector of the moving air current, sending back to where it originated from. To his surprise, someone gasped. Reopening his eyes, he stood up, searching for the origin of the noise, his vector shields up and ready to counterattack.

"Oh there you are! I thought I sensed someone playing with my currents."

The boy squinted in the dim light towards the back of the room. "Who's there?"

From the darkness of the room, the boy could detect faint footsteps. He braced himself for the coming attack, ready to deflect. However, no attack came, rather a small child emerged from the darkness. She looked no older than five, yet she walked as though she had experienced much. The girl had shoulder length black hair the ended in two gravity defying pigtails. She wore a plain sea green hospital gown and was barefoot. But what stood out to the boy were her clear blue eyes and soft smile. "Hi there!" She grinned, "You must be new!"

"Who are you?" The boy responded flatly, still considering her a threat.

The girl frowned. "Oh, well...I don't really know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" The boy asked skeptically.

"Well," the girl tapped her chin with her finger, "I don't really remember my name. Nobody gave me one. The scientists here just call me 'First'."

"Why's that?"

The girl smirked. "It's a secret!"

Annoyed, the boy frowned and sat down to resume his nap. The girl watched him before asking. "You're lonely aren't you?"

"Hmm...?" The boy responded gruffly. "What are you talking about?"

"You look sad." She observed before snapping her fingers. "I know just the thing to make you feel better!"

Cautiously, the boy gave her a stink her. "Oh really? And what's that?"

Grinning from ear to ear, the girl grabbed the boy's arm. "Let me show you!" She said, dragging him to the observation window.

The boy now could make out a large number of researchers and scientists wearing their white lab coats and uniforms. They seemed not to notice the two, their eyes glued to their screens and notes. The girl smirked mischievously. "Watch this."

With that, she snapped her fingers. To the boy's surprise, a moment later, a strong breeze flew into the adjacent room, blowing past the researchers' legs, and henceforth, several skirts. The boy's eyes widened as he suddenly was treated to the view of several varieties of female underwear. He stumbled back in shock. The girl giggled as the female scientists freaked out, trying to pull down their skirts whilst berating their male colleagues for peeking. "Isn't that hilarious?" She asked amidst her pearls of laughter, rolling on the ground.

The boy glared at the girl. The girl noticed his glare and before his very eyes began to tear up. Before he knew it, she had broken into a full out sobbing session. "Waa! You don't think I'm funny!"

"Ah...ah..." The boy stammered, trying to get her stop her annoying sobs. "Stop that...ok...it sorta was funny."

"Really?" Before he could turn his head, he found himself staring into the teary eyes of the girl. How could he resist?

He nodded. "I guess it was a little funny." The girl giggled but he continued, "But do you have no shame? And how did you do that?"

"Oh," the girl explained off-handedly, "I just used my esper power."

"Oh..." The boy nodded...until it hit him." Wait, you have esper powers?"

She nodded. "Yeah duh! I'm a Level Five Aeromaster!"

"Wah!" The boy screamed in surprise, instinctively activating his shields. "That's impossible! I'm only a Level Three! How can a little girl like you be a Level Five?"

"Oh, you're an esper too?" The girl's eyes lit up, "That's so cool! Mr. Crowley told me that I was getting a labmate so I guess you're him huh."

"Mr. Crowley?" The boy quipped his head in curiousity.

The girl nodded. "Yeah, he's the guy in charge of the experiment. He's really nice and funny. He likes to be upside down which is totally funny. I like him."

"Ahh...ok," the boy continued, "So...umm...who are you anyways?"

The girl sighed. "I thought I told you dummy! I'm 'First', the first Level Five esper in Academy City." She grinned before extending her hand. The boy stared at her blankly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're supposed to shake it! When you shake someone's hand, you become their friend."

"Why would I want to be your friend?"

"Wah, you're so mean, meanie!"

The boy sighed before taking the girl's hand. "Fine. It's nice to meet you 'First'."

"It's great to meet you too...umm...what's your name?"

* * *

District Seven: Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory 7

"Saten," Misaka cracked, trying to maintain eye contact, "I think you're a Level Five. You're Storm Rider; Saten-san, you are Number Six!"

Ruiko stared at her friend in shock before laughing. "What? You're kidding me right? Me, a Level Five? That's a laugh. I'm just a Level Zero...just plain old me..."

Misaka shook her head. "I wish I was Saten-san, but too many things add up. First Gunha-sempai recognizes you as 'First', which was the title given to Number Six, the 'First' Level Five esper in Academy City. Then Accelerator, the First Ranked esper, tells me that Number Six would have been a girl your age around now. Finally, Dr. Kiyama recognized you after I mentioned your abilities. There's too much evidence: Saten, you've got to be Number Six."

"B-but how?" The girl stammers, "I'm only a Level Zero. I've barely got an ability and you suspect me of having being a Level Five? That's complete mastery of an ability! And plus, didn't you say that Number Six was dead?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Misaka explained, "But all the evidence say that you're Number Six; but I just don't know why."

"Stop!" Ruiko yelled, "Just stop ok? This doesn't make any sense! Why would I be I by a Level Five? All this time I've been searching for my ability, doing anything possible to get it and now I am told that I've had it all along?

"You know, I've just come to terms with being a Level Zero. There were plenty of amazing Level Zeros out there, I realized. There's Arisia, who's a popstar. I thought maybe I could find some other passion to pursue, you know? You know, I could help people and not need an ability. That there was more to life than just ability development. And now you come out of the blue and tell me that I've an ability, and just any ability, but the power of a Level Five?"

She ran over to her bag and pulled out a red tag with a black stripe down the middle. The words Resist and Ward were clearly inscribed on the black stripe. She stared at it momentarily before throwing on the ground. "You know, I used to think that this would bring me good luck. Mom and Dad gave this to me to protect me." She slammed her foot on the tag. "Well a whole lot of luck and protection it's brought me!" She screamed, tears rolling down her face. "Damn this city! Damn it all!"

"Ruiko-chan." Itsuwa held her younger sister, only to pushed back.

"You too Onee-san! You're hiding things from me! You knew didn't you? What's really going on?" She screamed. "I'm tired of being treated like some sort of thing people can just use and keep secrets from."

"Saten-san calm down." Misaka clamped her hand down on the girl's shoulder. "You need to get a hang of yourself. You're out of control and you're just having a big temper tantrum. Now are you going to calm down, or do I need to shock you?"

Ruiko froze, before nodding slowly. Misaka smiled. "Good, now let's try to approach this like civilized people."

"Ha," Touma muttered, "Civilized indeed."

"Shut up!" Misaka unleashed a bolt of electricity at the idiot. "Ok, let's calm down and figure out what to do next. Freaking out and blaming each other is not going to help here. First, we need to realize that if you're a Level Five, then where did your power go? It's not like your AIM diffusion field just vanished."

"Ehh?" Touma and Itsuwa asked curiously. Misaka facepalmed. "It means that her power couldn't have just vanished into thin air. It needs to have gone somewhere. Her personal reality would have to have been confused or lost for her to lose levels."

"But that doesn't make any sense. I think I'm understanding my Personal Reality just fine now." Ruiko protested.

"But a Level Five's personal reality is different than that of a Level Zero's." Misaka explained, "The fact that the Level Upper worked on you means that you have the potential for a level, but it doesn't prove that you have the potential of a Level Five."

"Maybe it was suppressed by this omen." Index offered.

The group turned around to find the silver haired nun examining the 'good luck' charm. "This charm is disguised to look like an unsuspicious protection ward but actually the black stripe is emitting a large amount of mana, which is probably how Saten-san tracked it. But for you to have such horrible luck means that this charm is either void or it has a different purpose." She explained, pulling off the black strip of tape to reveal two black characters making the word "suppress". "This is no good luck charm, but a curse intentionally meant to suppress one's supernatural power, similar to Touma's right hand in function. Although the spell needed to suppress this much power must have been immensely difficult and painful."

The group gasped. "Hold on a second," Ruiko asked, "Are you saying that the only reason I can't use my ability is because that charm is preventing me from doing so?"

The nun smirked. "I believe so! All it would take is for Touma to break the curse and you should be able to access your ability, so I think. I'm not too good when it comes to the Science side." She mumbled, completely unaware of the gaping jaws of Touma, Ruiko, and Misaka.

"So if I touch this charm with my right hand, Saten-san will get her powers back?" Touma asked in shock, "Wow, that's quite simple."

"I really can be a Level Five," The girl muttered, realization of all the power held in the charm coming to her. "Misaka isn't this great?"

Misaka stared at her friend. She still had trouble getting her mind around the idea that her friend had been the elusive Number Six the entire time. When that monster had told her about Number Six, she had felt the slightest amount of sympathy for him, for Gunha. They had lost their best friend to an experiment. She thought about all the Sisters she had lost to the Level Six Shift experiment. Why did she feel so angry about this all? Shouldn't Saten be able to have her chance to become a Level Five? She too had suffered so much. But yet she was hesitant. Being a Level Five was a great responsibility. Not only was it a big advantage on the battlefield, but also a great headache when it came to publicity. She constantly had to deal with people wanting to use her, fight her, or take advantage of her. Did she really want Saten to bear the burden of being a Level Five? She needed to say something.

"Saten, Listen" She managed, still conflicted, "I'm not sure this is the best idea."

The look on the girl's face crumbled. "What do you mean?"

"I'm trying to say that being a Level Five is a big deal. It's more than just an ability; it's publicity and having to deal with the hardships that come with being a Level Five." Misaka tried to explain, "Look, I'm just asking you to reconsider becoming a Level Five right off the bat."

"In other words, you're jealous." Misaka froze. Ruiko's face had contorted, her eyebrows scrunched in frustration and eyes glaring at her. "You're jealous that I've been a Level Five and might be even more powerful than you."

"Hold on a second!" Misaka protested, "That's not what I meant at all. I'm just saying we shouldn't rush things."

"Ruiko-chan, you should listen to Misaka-san." Itsuwa chimed in, holding her hand close to her chest.

Ruiko stared at her older sister, "You're not off the hook either Onee-san. I'm betting you knew this all along. Mom gave me this charm, saying it would protect me, but all it's done is prevent me from gaining my powers."

"It was meant to protect you from Academy City." Her sister protested, "Your powers were out of control and the Amakusa wanted to keep you safe."

"Listen Onee-san, I don't know what this Amakusa is. But I do know when I'm being played. I'm sorry Misaka, but this is my chance to find out the truth. This is my chance to achieve what I've been after this entire time. I'll deal with the other issues as they come." She held the charm out to Touma. "I hear that you can give me back my powers. I don't know how, but please...help me!"

Touma gazed at the charm before him. Misaka didn't know if he was deciding on whether to do it or not or if he was just mesmerized by the charm. Finally he nodded, "If you're sure about this."

Ruiko didn't smile, rather she kept a straight face. "Yes, I'm sure."

The boy nodded, taking the charm in his right hand. A shrill whistle resounded across the room, similar to the sound of glass breaking. To the group's shock, the charm fell from the boy's hand in shreds. The group watched the shreds drop to the ground. Silence ensured.

"Is something supposed to happen?" Misaka asked the nun.

Index shrugged, "Don't ask me Short Hair, I'm not the expert on Science-"

"Hey don't call me Short Hair, Silver Nun!"

"Umm guys?"

"You just called me a name too!"

"Argh! Do you wanna feel my wrath!"

"Guys?"

"Bring it on Short Hair! I dare you to attack me. I'll have you know that I'm wearing a Walking Church, which protects me from all harm!" Index proudly gestures to her habit.

"Umm...guys..."

"Hah, that little thing? Those robes look like they've been pieced together by safety pins, which for your information can conduct electricity."

"GUYS!" Touma shouted at the bickering pair. The two turn to him. "What?" They shout back.

"The storm?" Touma gestures to where the remains of the charm once lay. Now a small vortex had begun forming, causing the remains to wisp around as the tornado grew larger.

The pair gasped before Index noticed Touma nearing the vortex. "Don't touch it Touma! You might cancel the spell!"

Touma stopped only to lose his footing as the winds blew him back. Ruiko stared in shock as the storm made its towards her. "Help me!" She screamed only to be overcome as the winds began engulfing her.

"Everyone get back!" Touma shouted before blacking out.

* * *

A few minutes later

Ruiko woke up, groaning. She had the weirdest dream. For some odd reason she had been kidnapped because she was supposed to be Number Six. Then there was some sort of freak storm and then she had lost consciousness. Hold on a second, wasn't her bed supposed to be more comfortable. Slowly opening her eyes, she realized that she wasn't in her bed…in fact she wasn't in her room. She slowly pulled herself up then groaned in pain. Her stomach for some reason wasn't feeling well and her lungs hurt.

She looked around and realized she was in a white room with lab equipment scattered around the room. She noticed the prone forms of…was that Misaka? And Itsuwa? And that spiky haired boy that Misaka was in love with? And was that a nun? Then the memories came to back to her. "Argh!" She gasped as she remembered the kidnapping, and then being rescued, and...Number Six.

"Everyone alright?" The spiky haired boy called out.

"I'm good!" "Me too!" "You should be more careful with your powers Touma!" Were the general replies.

"I'm alright," Ruiko replied, trying to pull herself off the ground, "Got a massive headache and my stomach is killing me."

"Oh my, are you alright Ruiko-chan!" In the blink of an eye, her sister was at her side, a worried look on her face. "How can I help?"

Ruiko shook her head. "I said I'm alright. Just give me a hand here." She held out her hand. With some help, Itsuwa got her sister on her feet. "Wow, that feels better, though a bit dusty...like I sorta want to...eh...eh...AHHHHH-CHOOOO!"

To the shock of the group, the younger sister flew back from the sheer force of the sneeze. It felt as if the girl had just shotgunned a wind cannon of some sort.

"Ruiko!" "Saten!"

The girl scratched her head as she tried to process how she ended up flat against a wall on the opposite end of the room. "Such Misfortune" she muttered.

"Hey that's my line!" The spiky haired boy interjected. "This Kamijou prides himself for having officially licensed that line."

Misaka turned to the idiot. "Why would want to license that? Is this some sort of TV show or something?"

"Nah, it'd probably be some sort of shonen anime." The boy answered dismissively.

"Are you alright?" The older sister ran up to Ruiko.

"I think so," the girl replied, scratching her head. "Was that my esper power?"

"Sure looks like it to me." The group turned around to see a tall albino teenager hobbling towards them. His face remained monotone as he looked over the young girl with a careful eye. Ruiko gasped, she felt like she had met this boy before, but where? But for some odd reason, she went with the first thing that came to her mind.

"Yuriko-san?"

The teen froze at the name, then closed his eyes and smiled. "Welcome back, First."

* * *

There you go! Accelerator's back! Note that I'm using the 'name' given to him by Touma when he first imagined Accelerator as a girl in his class, just for kicks.

Anyways, leave your comments and thoughts below and I'll be sure to answer you in the next chapter!

Coming up next! The end of the beginning, Enter Storm Rider!

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you Always!

UCCMaster


	7. Chapter 7

Hey Everyone, UCCMaster here!

This is it people! This is the finalle of my first arc. Wow, I've actually only finished one arc before and that took me two years to do. This one took me two months. Now to answer reviews and shoutouts from chapter six.

1 – Welcome **Hilem**! You know, interestingly enough, when I first wanted Saten to have a connection to Number Six, that was my thought too. I thought she might be related or even better...she's a Number Six Clone! Suddenly Saten Clones and Misaka Sisters would terrorize the world and Uiharu's panties. Lol. When I saw your review I suddenly went and reread all fics with fem Accelerator. It's worth a read! They're really hilarious and femAccel x Touma is my new OTP...well next to Othinus Touma Pairing and Zero Shipping. Thanks for the Review

2 – **Mr ?** What do you know! You've done two things I'm not sure I should love you for or hate you for. 1. You've written some of the funniest TAMNI one shots (especially around the three heroes) I've ever read. The number of times I've read and reread the one shot about Railgun cast with the Delta Trio is over 9000, jk, but still a high number. 2. You do Negai shipping...I'll leave it there. But anyways...I agree with you wholeheartedly. As you will see in this chapter, Saten's going to be having a lot of growth and has down a possibly dark path from here on out. Do I plan to do this all in one arc? Knowing my impaitent writing style...probably but I'll try to make sure it's well done. Thanks for the Review

3 – **Guest**...who speaks Japanese...thanks for your review! I just popped it in google translate and I got your review. Which is embarssing seeing as I'm Japanese American...well I'm more Chinese than Japanese but that's beside the point. "It has the potential, but still some are required up polishing." Thanks for your enthusiasm. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for polishing opportunities.

Again I do not own TAMNI

* * *

Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory District 7

"Yuriko?"

The teen froze at the name, then closed his eyes and smiled. "Welcome back, First."

Misaka glared at the First ranked. "What are you doing here?"

"Tch, none of your business." He scoffed, annoyed at the Third Rate. How was it her business to know his agendas? But then redirected his attention to the 'First'. "So you're really alive."

"I guess so..." The girl replied uncertainly, "Have we met before? My memory is still fuzzy and you know, now that I've been told that my life's pretty much been a lie this entire time, I'm not sure what to trust right now."

The teen stared at the girl hard, double checking if this really was the First that he had grown up with. "I'm pretty sure we have. But..." He muttered, "I guess we can start over with introductions."

"Great!" The girl half-smiled. The albino teen could clearly see she was still unfamiliar with him and thus was still hesitant. "I'm Saten Ruiko, or...at least I think I am. Supposedly I'm a Level Five."

Accelerator frowned...this wasn't the First he knew. This girl had no confidence and certainty that he remembered, her smile wasn't real and her eyes were lighting up his world. "The name's Accelerator, I'm also a Level Five." He introduced, trying to smile for her.

"It's nice to meet you Accelerator-san." The girl replied, concentrating hard. "For some odd reason, I seem to get this picture of us hanging out when we were younger."

The teen, for once, smiled for real. Now they were getting somewhere. "That's right. We were labmates."

"Sorta like childhood friends!" 'First' realized, giggling. "Wow, we must have had a lot of fun if you still remember me."

Accelerator lowered his gaze slightly. "You don't know the half of it." He muttered softly. He had been so alone before he had met First, and when she had vanished, he had been devastated. "Yeah..." He tried to chuckle, "I guess were."

"Ehh!" The annoying Third Rate Brat gasped, turning to First, "You were childhood friends with this monster?"

The girl raised her eyebrows curiously. "Monster? I guess since he's crippled but I don't think that makes someone a monster."

Third Rate shook her head. "No, he's a monster alright!" She shouted, anger steaming from her rage. "You don't know what he's done! What he's done to me! Who's he killed, the people he's hurt and ruined. You can't just act so friendly to him like that!"

The teen lowered his head. It wasn't like he cared how the Third Rate felt. It didn't. Besides, he deserved it. He knew that deep down inside, Last Order hated him for his murdering of the Sisters. But to his surprise, 'First' shook her head, smiling. "Misaka, you shouldn't be so hard on someone like that. I mean, look at him, he's clearly regretting whatever he's done. I don't know what he's done to you, but for now, he's being friendly and he hasn't betrayed me, which is a plus." At those words, she sent a glare at the Third Rate. "Besides, we need all the friends we can get right now."

For some reason, her smile brought the teen back. That smile was identical to 'First's' smile whenever they had hung out back in the lab. The teen chuckled lightly. "Thanks...'First'. You're 'First' for sure."

"Aww, thanks...I guess." The girl chuckled back. "Aww look, you're smiling!" The two held each other's smiles for a while until an impatient voice interrupted them.

"Ahem!"

The group jerked their heads to the annoying hero. Accelerator's eyes glared into the boy's. Couldn't he see they were having a reunion moment? "What is it f'ing hero?"

"Yeah Touma, can't you see they're having a moment?" That weird nun girl agreed.

The bigger breasted girl frowned. "So ignorant. I'm sorry Touma-kun but that was awfully inconsiderate of you."

"Umm...you know, not to be inconsiderate..." The boy started only for the group to interject, "You're already being inconsiderate."

"Anyways, I was just saying that we should get going now." The f'ing hero pointed out. Hmm...that was a good point. That annoying spy and teleporter had told him that they'd hold the perimeter but that had been hours ago. They'd need to escape and find shelter for 'First' and her friends.

Just then, a rumbling noise resounded to their left. Accelerator reached for his choker, ready to repel any attack. The wall blew open, sending debris flying into the room.

When the smoke cleared, the teen was left speechless when he recognized a pair of familiar glowing goggles peering at the group. Standing before them was a teenage girl with shoulder length chestnut hair. She wore a Tokiwadi School uniform with a pair of military goggles covering her eyes. What was most peculiar was the giant machine strapped to her back which was connected to a giant Railgun the girl was lugging.

"Did someone call for a breakout? Announces Misaka 10032, giving a vibe of the perfect timing cliché."

* * *

Judgment Branch Office 177

"I'm so tired!"

"Jeez Uiharu, you're so lazy!" Shirai Kuroko retorted.

The flower headband girl pouted, "I'm not lazy Shirai-san, I'm just wiped. Why did Konori-senpai have to make us do paperwork past midnight? It's way past my bedtime and I want to go home!" She wailed.

Shirai raised her brow. "You really have a bed time? What other childish things do you have? A night light?"

"Shut up Shirai, I'll have you know that night lights are a perfectly acceptable tool for adults. Edasaki was fine with it and even Saten doesn't make a point out of it."

"Edasaki is too shy to tell you anything wrong and Saten is too nice to be mean to you." Shirai corrected, "Now unless you want to be seen as a childish girl like my Onee-sama, you should try adopting some more mature and adult habits."

"Like perving on Misaka?" Uiharu replied innocently, "Or touching her indecently and ending up on her bad side?"

Shirai gave the 'innocent' girl an evil eye. "I hate you..." She muttered.

"Hey girls, enough chitter chatting, we got a situation live." A firm voice interrupted. The pair turned to see Konori Mii stridding towards them.

"What's the situation?" Shirai asked curiously. What sort of event would be happening at this time in the evening?

"Twenty minutes ago, Anti-Skill received a silent alarm from Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory here in District Seven. Upon arriving at the scene, they were immediately attacked by armed hostiles." Konori explained, "Uiharu, pull up the Anti-Skill armor cams. They want us to provide intelligence and record the feed.

The Goalkeeper of Academy City nodded, typing at a rapid speed as several windows popped up on her triple monitors. "Right, it looks like there are eight attackers, but I can't make them out in the darkness." She muttered.

The girl was right. The Anti-Skill vans were blockading the building's outer courtyard but none of the armed enforcers could advance safely under the heavy fire. In the darkness of the building, Shirai could just barely make out the dark silhouettes of eight figures firing from inside the entrance.

"I'm going to see if we can connect into the Anti-Skill comms." The hacker reported, "This Judgment Officer Uiharu reporting from Judgment Office Branch 177. Does anyone read me?"

The speaker suddenly resounded with the peppering of gunfire when a rough voice responded. "We read you Uiharu. This is Anti-Skill lieutenant Yomikawa reporting from the front."

"Thank you Yomikawa." Konori replied, "This is Judgment Senior Officer Konori, what's the status of your situation."

The comms fizzled as bullets continued to resound in the background. "We got nine hostiles so far. They're well armed. Most of them have automatic assault rifles and at least one of them has a military grade sniper rifle. They seem to have plenty of ammo and have military training. We can't make any advances safely right now. You got any ideas?"

"Do you have any idea who's behind the attack?" Shirai asked. Maybe this was like that time she fought the Science Society and that other teleporter Musujime. "Are they from outside Academy City? Where did they get automatic weapons?"

"I have no idea." The voice replied, "They've been jamming our scanners and electrobinoculars...which shouldn't be possible. We haven't been able to detect anything from them except that there are eight of them with military grade weapons and training." The voice grunted as a bullet whizzed by.

"Hold on," Shirai interrupted, a thought coming back to her. "You said that your electrical scanners weren't picking them up?"

"Yeah," Yomikawa replied, "It's strange. It's almost as if they can..."

"Negate or control electrical fields." She finished the statement. Konori glanced at the pigtailed girl. "Wait, are you saying that..."

"They're probably ESPers who can manipulate electrical fields. According to Onee-sama, it's not terribly hard to conceal your electrical presence from a machine. A Level Two Electromaster could do that with ease." The girl explained, "Although that brings up the fact that they all have to be Electromasters of at least Level Two."

"A group of electromasters all together with military training?" Yomikawa asked, a hint of recognition in her tone.

"Sounds like something out of an urban legend." Uiharu muttered. "Maybe Saten would know."

"Yomikawa-san," Konori interrupted, "It sounded like you know something about this...if you could please share what you know."

"No, it couldn't be them." The voice muttered, though the Judgment officers weren't sure if she was talking to them or to herself. "Why would they be attacking Anti-Skill?"

"Ma'am!" Konori yelled into the microphone.

"Oh, sorry," The Anti-Skill officer replied, "I had a thought. But it can't be them."

"What are you referring to?" Shirai asked.

"Nothing for you to worry about." The woman's reply came. "Anyways...hold on...they've stopped firing."

The group looked back at the screens. Sure enough, the gunfire had ceased. Uiharu checked her scanners. "I'm picking up multiple life signs inside now...it looks like they've got reinforcements."

"Right...we'll...hold on...someone's coming out."

They peered into the dark entrance as a lone figure exited the building. "Careful men," Yomikawa ordered. "Don't fire yet. Who goes there?"

The figure walked towards the blockade slowly, its head hung low, preventing any identification of said person until 'she' walked into the lights of the vans.

"Okay, I've gone through a whole lot of stuff today and not a lot of it was good. So if you could do me a favor and clear the way for my friends and me. We'd really appreciate it."

"Saten-san?" The trio gasped in surprise. What was she doing there? Kuroko turned to her partner. "Have you heard anything from Saten recently?"

The girl shook her head. "No I haven't; though I got a call from her, but when I called back she didn't pick up." She gazed at the screen. "Saten-san, what are you doing there?"

Apparently Yoshikawa recognized her as well. "Hey, aren't you the girl from the workshop…what was it? Saten?"

The girl on the screen seemed to chuckle darkly. "Yeah, I've been called that. But honestly, didn't you hear me? My friends and I would really like to go home. I'm cold, frustrated, and in a real need of a nap. As you can see, I got my friends to stop attacking. So if you could do me a favor and let us go home alright?"

Shirai scrunched her brow. Saten was acting weird. She rarely acts that darkly before, in fact, she had never seen Saten angry before. She turned to Uiharu. "Is it just me or is Saten-san acting dark for some reason?"

"You're not wrong. Saten's never acted like this before. I mean, sure she can be upset, but this is borderline insane." The girl shivered at the thought.

"Could you tell us what you were doing there?" Yomikawa called out to Saten, the Anti-Skill Officer still firmly holding her rifle. "Why are you out past curfew?"

Saten frowned. "Oh, I didn't realize curfew was in place." She replied sarcastically, "I just want to go home, is that too much to ask? Just leave and let my friends and I go home and we can pretend this never happened...or else…" she whispered the last part darkly, "I might have to deal with you myself."

"What is she talking about?" Konori turned to her subordinates. "Isn't Saten-san a Level Zero?"

Shirai nodded, "I know, but something about her is off. I just don't know what."

Apparently Yomikawa and Shirai thought alike as she spoke. "You're bluffing. You're just a Level Zero."

"Oh, is that what they told you…" Saten grinned mischievously, "Well then, I guess you'll just have to reevaluate ME!" With that she threw her hands out towards the group. Immediately, the air around the girl blew forwards, slamming with such force that the blockade, both officer and van, were knocked over, a resounding crash echoing from the speakers.

Uiharu gasped speechless. Shirai was able to put the trio's shared thoughts into words though. "Did Saten just use…her esper powers?" The pigtailed girl asked nervously.

"Tha-tha-that's impossible!" Uiharu cried in shock, "She's a Level Zero. She couldn't have done all that on her own."

Yomikawa pulled herself off the ground as she surveyed the damage. All the vans had been knocked over and her men were scattered about. "Open Fire!" one of the men ordered, raising his rifle. Yomikawa tried to stop him, she refused to open fire upon a student. It was a part of her philosophy as a teacher and officer. But her cries fell on deaf ears as multiple bursts of gunfire peppered towards the girl.

But to the group's surprise, not a single bullet struck the girl, rather as soon as they reached the vicinity of the girl, they burst into flames and melted into small metallic rain drops at her feet.

"B-but how?" One muttered in shock as the officers stood frozen in fear.

"That was actually pretty tough to pull off," the girl puffed out, panting slightly, "I can change the atmospheric pressure and density of the air around me. Your bullets are travelling at roughly 7650 kph (speed of an M16 rifle bullet). When I increase the density and pressure around me by three times, the heat generated by all the resistance is enough to melt your bullets, thus causing them to lose form and splatter to the ground."

Uiharu gasped. "I've never heard of an esper ability like that."

"Actually, that ability falls within the Areohand ability tree. Kongou-san was telling me about it." Shirai corrected, remembering the pompous heiress. "The ability to alter atmospheric pressure and therefore air resistance in a small area. But she was telling me how she wished she could obtain that ability since it was classified as..."

Konori noticed the girl trailing off. "What? What Level was this ability classfied as?"

"...Level Five."

The room went deathly silent as the trio took in a moment to process her words. "Ehh!"

"B-but that would mean that Saten's ability would have to be at L-L-Level Five!" Uiharu shrieked, hands flailing in the air. "H-How is that possible?"

The officers must have had some notion of her power as well. "The hell?" Yomikawa muttered. "Girl, where did you get your powers?"

The girl griminaced. "You know, I really wanted this to end differently, but you've given me no choice." She sighed, before began sucking in the air around her at a rapid pace. The captain's eyes widened as she screamed, "Get to cover!"

Saten cupped her hands over her face as if she was going to yell, or rather...blow. The vortex released from the small girl was equivalent to a tornado, blasting away everything in its way: officer, van, and even chunks of the wall. When she had finished, a cone of destruction lay before her. Vehicles, officers, and parts of the landscape lay scattered at her feet.

The Judgment trio sat in horror at the damage that lay before them on the screen. The perpetraitor walked up to the captain who was struggling to stay conscious.

Yomikawa managed to pull her head up to see the girl. "W-who are you?" She stammered.

The girl frowned softly, as if in regret. "I am Number Six."

* * *

 **What do you think**? Ok...so I've done a lot and a lot of people will probably be shouting one thing: " **Saten OoC**!" That's correct. She was. But you have to think about it. Saten's just drastically shifted from being a Level Zero to a Level Five in a minute. With esper abilities being based around your personal realities, this is a huge shift for her. One writer KageYami (A Certain Defective Sister) mentioned the idea that the higher the level, the crazier you are. So for Saten to have a reluctant sadistic side is perfectly reasonable after such a dramatic shift in realities, the shift from prey to predator.

 **In addition, what do you think of her abilities**? The idea of melting bullets came from my best friend. Originally I was going to have her generate an equal and opposite wind force to negate the bullets' flight paths but then she, being the math and science girl, proposed we use thermodynamics to melt the bullets. I don't know how much time I spent trying to rationalize that on the internet before I found a 'possible' way for her to do that.

Also... **the Sisters**. They're there. I orignally was going to have Kuroko get a glimpse of them but then I felt like it took away from Saten's dramatic entrance.

Anyways, feel free to leave your reviews and discussion ideas in the box below.

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you Always!

UCCMaster


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone UCCMaster,

Thanks for all your reviews and thoughts about this fic. This is a real special fic for me since it's the first time I've gotten this many ideas and thoughts together to make a decent plotline. Anyways I don't own TAMNI

Now for Reviews

 **Guest** – Thanks for your review! I checked back and you're right. I got Haruue and Edasaki mixed up. BTW I will be using them in the future as well. So don't forget them! Yes Saten attacking Anti-Skill was unnecessary but I did it just...well I wanted to show off the new Saten at Level Five. Touma being chased is actually quite necessary in the essence of making use of the recurring gag concept.

 **Agent 9** – thanks for your review. I agree! Saten as a Level Zero is part of her charms...hence why I took up this fic. I'm not the first to explore Saten's other strengths. Before this, Saten's often raised her level to Level Two (A Certain Infinite Possibility), if not Three (He will Surely Save) and at one time...she was a freaking MAGIC GOD (Echoes of a Lost World)...which was an awesome fic. I was just the first one to consider the idea of her being the Missing Number Six. As for her dark personality...it was tough writing her that way...though it was frighteningly easy to write some psychotically...ouch. I'll be trying to find balance between her old cheerful self and her new reality.

* * *

GROUP Hideout, District 11

The warehouse was small and spartan but was still furnished. The main alcove branched off into four separate rooms, all of which were locked. But the main room had several couches and a fully furnished kitchen so that was more than enough for the small group.

"I know it's not much, but it's the best we can offer right now." Tsuchimikado explained, inviting the fugitives into the building. "The rooms are off limits but the couches can double as futons so I hope you guys won't be too uncomfortable."

Touma nodded, "Thanks Tsuchimikado. We owe you big time."

"It's not a problem, I'm just glad I was in the area." The backstabbing spy chuckled.

Saten listlessly strode to a couch and plopped down. To be completely honest, she was exhausted, tired, and terrified. Putting up that show before Anti-skill had taken a lot out of her both physically and mentally. It terrified her how much damage she could do when she put her mind to it. And that sadistic style of brutalness? She was appalled. Sure, Accelerator had recommended that she use a bit of a darker tone to scare off Anti-Skill, but still, acting so darkly came just so...naturally to the normally bright and cherry girl that it terrified her. What was going on with her? Was this how it felt to be a Level Five?

"You guys get some rest." The blonde haired spy ordered, "I have a guest coming by this afternoon and he's really anxious to meet you Saten-san."

"Hmm?" The girl asked in surprise. "Who would want to meet me?"

The spy winked at her. "You'll see. Until then, get some rest. Oh and Kami-yan!"

"What is it?" The spikey haired boy asked.

He smirked, "Don't have too much fun with all the ladies here. We don't want your harem expanding do we?"

Saten watched in light amusement as the two other girls, Misaka and her Onee-sama, flushed bright red as the boy in question punched the spy. "It's not like that you damn Sis-con!" He yelled, "I don't have a harem!"

"Baka Hentai!"

"Oh my, he really does want a harem?"

"Eh...no Itsuwa, it's not like that! Don't believe anything that Sis-con says!"

Saten couldn't hold back any longer and let out a burst of giggles. She was really happy that Misaka was here for her. She always had a way of lightening the mood...even if that job normaly fell on Saten herself. "You guys are so funny!" The girl laughed. "Misaka-san, I can see why you like him so much."

Misaka noticed her friend's laughter and flushed red with embarrassment. "W-what are you talking about? Eh...you know what, I'm just going to go check on my Sisters, make sure that they're doing alright up there." With that, the tsundere Electromaster stormed off.

Saten frowned. That was right. It had been a huge shock when she first met the Sisters. Biological clones of Misaka Mikoto who spoke in third person and used guns. When the first girl blew through the wall, Saten couldn't help but gape in shock at how identical the girls were yet how different their personalities were from the original. Their monotonous expressions slightly creeped out the girl but she eventually got over it. She honestly hoped she could get to know them better...i mean, who wouldn't? Which reminded her, Misaka still owed her an explanation about them, other than a simple 'yes' they were her clones and 'no' Kuroko must not find out about them. Which made sense. The Lesbian perverted roommate of Misaka would most certainly ruin whatever naive innocence the clones had.

Touma watched the girl storm off before turning to the two sisters. "I think I'll go after her." He announced uncertainly before dashing off.

Saten nodded before turning to her sister, who still remained largely silent and grim. "Hey Onee-san?"

The girl raised her head. "Yes Ruiko-chan?"

"You still owe me an explanation." She crossed her arms, but then a yawn broke through her attempt to be upset. "But I'm too tired to have it now. So could we have it later?"

Saten Itsuwa nodded at her younger sister. "Of course Imouto-chan." She pulled off her coat and placed it over the tired girl's body and lay her down on the futon.

"Thank you Nee-san." Ruiko muttered as she lay down.

Itsuwa tried to suppress a faint smile. "Your welcome." Whether she was a Level Zero or a Level Five, some things would always remain the same no matter what.

* * *

"Do not worry Onee-san, we will keep a close eye on your friend says Misaka, trying to put the original's doubts to rest." The Sister before Mikoto placated.

Misaka nodded. "Thanks, just keep a safe distance from her. You don't want to be seen."

"By her? Misaka asks, pointing out that Saten Ruiko has already met the Sisters now."

The girl shook her head. "Of course not, I meant by other people. Do you know how strange it is for people to see you walking around with assault rifles and military goggles? Do you know what it might to do my reputation?"

"Misaka was not aware that the original was that worried about her status. Interjects Misaka, pointing out that the original's status is already quite shameful considering the original's love for childish things and toys. Besides, Misaka has noticed people do not give her much attention; perhaps this is because of the tarnished image of the original."

Electrical shocks flickered off of the Level Five. "Argh, you can really be a pain you know?"

"Hey Biri Biri!"

Upon hearing the familiar nickname, the girl let loose the excess electricity in her hair towards the idiot. Instinctively, the boy raised his right hand in time to negate the attack but remained pissed. "What was that for? Biri Biri'ing me like that! I was just trying to talk to you." He yelled in annoyance.

"Stop being an idiot for once and I'll stop attacking you!"

"Misaka believes that the original needs to stop using violence as a method of affection and be more direct. Misaka states, pointing out the sheer density of the hero. The only way to gain his attention would be from a more direct approach. Says Misaka going in the for win." With that, the Imouto walked up to the boy's side and held his arm tightly. The boy immediately flushed red at the sudden affectionate hug from the girl as she pressed her body closer to him.

"Ehh Imouto-san what are you trying to do? Get me killed?" The boy cried out in disbelief, then remembered the original, "Ehh...hey Biri Biri this isn't my fault! I'm not trying to perve on your sis...Ack!"

Mikoto growled as she kicked the boy in the head. "Shut up! And stop molesting my sisters!"

"This Misaka does believe the Savior was perving on Misaka, rather this was all Misaka's intentions due to the original's lack of action, corrects Misaka, hoping to make her intentions clear. Perhaps it is the original who needs to take initiative, but then that would force Misaka to become rivals with her, so perhaps the original backing off would be most helpful. State whispers Misaka, hoping that the original would understand Misaka's intentions and leave Misaka and the Savior alone."

Touma, while completely oblivious to the girls' rivalry over him, had enough understanding to try to appease the sisters. "Hey Imouto-san, could you...eh...let Misaka and I have a chat please? It's really important."

The sister remained blank but nodded. "Of course, says Misaka, understanding the hidden innuendos of the Savior's wish. Misaka will assist the other sisters in patrol duty." She released said 'savior's arm and walked off, leaving the two 'lovers' beet red and stuttering.

"Ehh! I-It's not like that at all!"

"Such Misfortune!"

Touma watched the sister walk off alone and sighed. "So…what's gotten you so riled up right now?"

Mikoto glared. "What do you think idiot?"

"I'm sorry, I just noticed you're really angry and agitated and I didn't like it so I wanted to see what I could do." The boy replied. He really was oblivious, wasn't he?

Mikoto sighed, realizing that was serious about wanting to help her. "C-can you just..."

"What?"

She clenched her fist, fighting the urge to shock the dense idiot. "Just...sit with me."

"Sure," the boy shrugged, taking a seat next to the girl. The two remained in silence for a while, watching the sun rise from west. Mikoto took a moment to gaze at the boy's face, so calm and collected. It made her angry honestly. How could he remain so calm after everything that just happened? Was he not angry at how Saten had been treated? Wasn't he upset that they had to fight Anti-skill to escape the lab? Why was he so calm when they had gone from students to fugitives overnight? "I don't get you." She finally spoke.

The boy glanced at her. "What?"

"I said I don't get you." She restated, "How are you so calm after everything that just happened?"

The boy shrugged, "I don't know, such misfortunate things keep happening to me that I'm just used to these sorts of things happening to me."

"You've got a point." Misaka muttered remembering all the weird things that happen whenever he's around. Not to mention that strange feeling she kept getting as well. "But aren't you angry? You were angry when you saved the Sisters from Accelerator, but you've been quite calm during this entire incident. Why? Is it because you don't know Saten or…"

"Misaka, I care about your friends. Don't forget, Saten-san's Onee-san is my friend too." Oh yes, how could she forget the well-endowed girl who clearly was smitten over the boy? "But I don't think that overreacting is the way to handle this. Of course, I'm upset that your friend had to suffer so much. She's just a normal girl who happened to be Number Six without her awareness. She doesn't deserve this pain. But she cares about you Misaka and doesn't want you to be upset." Touma smiled, reminiscing of their previous encounters. "You know, it was Saten-san who told me that you needed my help back at the Daihasei festival. If it hadn't been for her, I would have never known you were in danger. But she had been so calm about it all, putting you first over her own emotions. So, when she needed help, I decided to put her first over my own misfortune."

"That was a crazy time," the Level five nodded, remembering the fight. It had been insane. Sogiita and him had just kept throwing themselves at her and only after she had cut off his arm…well…things got weird (reference to 'To Ascend' fic) after that. "That's right, what did happen after your arm was chopped off? All I remember was an explosion and a bright light. Next thing I knew, we were standing together and you put your coat on me because I was..." She flushed as she realized something that normally she would have punished the idiot for.

"Eheh," the boy scratched his head sheepishly, "To be honest, I don't really know either. All I know is that Sogitta-san said it was very gutsy."

The two shared a laugh. "I remember him, he's quite the character," the girl chuckled until she remembered the events a few days ago, "Though he still owes Saten an apology for how he acted."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, he grew up with First just like Accelerator. So when he first saw Saten, he thought she was an imposter and proceeded to attack her. Kuroko and I barely was able to put him down in his rage." The girl explained.

"I see," Touma nodded, "Well I think they need to realize that they merely misunderstood each other. If Gunha-san can realize that Saten is his 'First', then he can come to terms. If Gunha can explain to Saten and apologize, then maybe she'll be understanding as well."

"You know it's not that simple." The girl corrected. "Saten was really traumatized by it. She might not let it go so easily."

The boy remained silent. "Anyways, so what's next?"

Misaka tried to speak but too remained silent. That was the question indeed. What were they going to do next? They were fugitives in her home, Academy City. This wasn't like when she was saving her sisters. This was outright treason. They had attacked a lab and then destroyed the Anti-Skill blockade. Honestly Misaka wouldn't be surprised if all Anti-Skill and Judgment were hunting for them as she spoke...which meant that Uiharu and Kuroko would be...her enemies in this fight. The sheer thought of having to fight them terrified her. "I don't know Touma. Everything's so fucked right now. This isn't like when you fought Accelerator! We're fugitives! All of Academy City is our enemy, we have nowhere to go and we'll be found here sooner or later and it's not like we can leave here either!" She shouted in frustration, tears slowly trickling down her cheeks. "It's not fair! Why do we have to suffer like this? Why must Saten experience so much pain? Why must being the good guy be so painful? Its wrong I tell you, it's wrong!"

Touma remained silent, only speaking two words. "Such misfortune."

"What's supposed to mean idiot?" She glared at the boy, how dare he say that at a time like this?

"Exactly what I said it means." The boy replied seriously, "It's true that the heroes of the world must suffer great pains to achieve their dreams and hopes. In fact, suffering is defining heroes. When everything goes wrong, you need to shatter the illusion that it's hopeless and move forward. All these things that happening to us? Such misfortune, now move on." Touma faced Mikoto, cupping her chin with his hand until their eyes met. "Whenever you feel broken, hopeless, and in desperation, I'll shatter that illusion of yours and return your smile."

Mikoto remained shell shocked as their eyes met, brown eyes meeting chestnut. For that moment, she felt as though he had done just that. Her illusions of hopelessness were shattered and she could look to the future with hope and pride. She could smile again even amid all the craziness around her. "Touma?"

"Y-Yes?" The boy stuttered, realizing how close they were and awaiting his punishment.

"J-just...can you...hold me?" The girl managed.

For the first time since the two met on that fateful morning in front of the broken vending machine, boy and girl sat together in comforting silence. The boy held the girl's shoulder and her head lay on his shoulder. And as the sun rose in the horizon, the radiant sunlight chased the pain and tears away. No matter what, the two heroes would always look to the future with hope for a better tomorrow, one full of smiles and joy. Nothing could interrupt the moment...just nothing...

"Hey Misaka?"

"Hmm...?"

"You called me by my first name. No honorifics huh?"

"S-shut up! It's...just more...convenient to do so okay? And what's with you calling me Misaka?"

"Ehh? Well you said you didn't like Biri Biri so I tried to stop alright?"

...yeah...some things never change...

* * *

Anti-Skill Headquarters District 7

The briefing room was buzzing with people, both Judgment and Anti-Skill scurried around, running errands for their superiors or merely enjoying conversation while finding their own seats. Kuroko turned to her fellow Judgment branch members, Uiharu and Konori. She had been silent ever since the previous evening, the fateful evening when Saten Ruiko opened fire on Anti-Skill and then left along with her Onee-sama, Kuroko's Onee-sama, and several other individuals. "When are they going to get started?" she muttered impatiently.

"Patience Shirai," Konori chided her junior, "We're just waiting for everyone to arrive. The District 7 Anti-Skill and Judgment personnel are quite numerous, so not everyone is here yet."

The girl remained silent, her eyes unmoving. "Uiharu-san, Konori-sempai?"

"Yes Shirai?"

"…do you think this meeting is about the attack last night?"

The senior Judgment member paused, watching the streams of teens and adults trickle into the conference room. "Yes Shirai, I believe so. For an emergency briefing to be called so suddenly, I think this must do with the attack last night."

"D-does that mean that we'll have to a-arrest Saten and Misaka-san?" Uiharu asked.

"I-I'm not sure."

"Of course we have to." The pair turned to the tawny haired girl sitting next to them. Her hands clenched the desk before her as she shook anxiously. "An attack on Anti-skill always results in arrest. I warned Onee-sama about breaking the rules but she never listened and now she's getting what's coming to her."

The pair watched her nervously. "Shirai-san are you alright?" Uiharu asked worriedly.

"Of course I'm fine Uiharu." The girl replied, panting, "I'm just fine."

"Shirai maybe you shouldn't attend this meeting. I can take notes for you to reflect on later." Konori offered, not liking the youngest Judgment member's behavior.

The girl shook her head furiously. "No, I'm fine. I should be here." She chuckled darkly, "No I **need** to be here."

"Ehh…okay then Shirai-san." the small girl replied.

"Shh...they're starting." Konori shushed the girls.

The assembled officers hushed down as a tall man in uniform arrived on stage. "Unfortunately, Lieutenant Yomikawa couldn't join us for reasons I will address shortly, so I'll be taking care of the briefing for today." The man announced before moving onto his presentation.

"Last night at 0023, Anti-Skill was alerted to a break in at Higuchi Pharmaceutical Laboratory here in District Seven. Lieutenant Yomikawa along with Squads Beta and Delta were dispatched to the lab. Upon arrival, the officers reported coming under fire immediately, forcing them to abandon entry and instead blockade the entry point.

"The attackers consisted of eight attackers armed with military grade weaponry. How they acquired such weaponry is still unknown. The firefight eventually reached a stalemate, neither side taking any serious casualties. What's important is what happened afterwards if you'll look up at the armor cam feed."

The screen behind the man lit up and revealed the same video feed the girls had been watching that previous night. Uiharu shuddered as they watched yet again their friend destroy the Anti-skill squadron with ease. The man sighed. "Thankfully, Officer Yomikawa reports that while many took serious injuries, there were no fatalities amongst the squad. However this still leaves the perpetrator at large. We were able to get an ID on the attacker and some of her friends that came out afterwards."

The screen shifted to a surveillance camera that barely survived the attack, revealing several figures leaving the site. The faces of the figures were enlarged and brought up before the audience. "The first person here is Saten Itsuwa, a visitor from out of town. She appears to be carrying a triprong spear of some sort in this image."

Uiharu frowned. When she had met the girl, she didn't seem dangerous, yet in this image she looked serious and focused. Could she have been tricking them all along about her job?

"Next up, Mikoto Misaka, Level Five Electromaster aka The Railgun of Tokiwadai. Her reasons for attacking this laboratory are unknown but she is definitely dangerous. Approach with extreme caution."

Uiharu turned to her partner, waiting for her reaction. Shirai's fist was clenched and her eyes shut and her teeth grit. Honestly, Uiharu worried for her partner. She couldn't imagine having to hunt down her friend much less having to arrest her.

"And finally, Saten Ruiko, Level Zero. However, her level might be reevaluated to fit the current situation. Saten was heard referring to herself as Number Six."

A great mummer arose immediately as the crowd tried to process the revealed identity of Number Six. "Whether or not she really is Number Six is still uncertain, however we can prove that abilities she exhibited were definitely scaled at least Level Four. We have arrest warrants for all three of these figures. The rest are currently unknown due to various circumstances."

A new girl walked on stage, a tall girl with dark hair and piercing black eyes. She wore a form fitting bodysuit with black and red highlights. "This is Shutaura Sequenzia of the Black Crow Force. After seeing two high Level espers at work, the higher ups decided it necessary to involve the Black Crow Force in this hunt."

"Greetings Judgment, Anti-Skill, I am Shutaura Sequenzia, please take good care of me." The girl bowed, "The Black Crow Force will do everything in our power it aid you in the hunt. Please call us in if you ever encounter them."

"That will be all. Your assignments will be handed to your branch director. You are dismissed."

Uiharu turned to Shirai. "I don't know if I can do this."

The tawny haired girl frowned. "This isn't about whether or not you can do this Uiharu. This about our duty as Judgment officers and keeping the peace in Academy City. If you can't go with that, then maybe you should sit this one out."

The flower headband girl didn't meet Shirai's eyes.

* * *

How was that? I was going to write more...but it felt appropriate to end it here. As I dive deeper into this fic, my characters have actually evolved from their original purpose. As you can see here, I'll giving Kuroko (probably my least favorite of the Railgun girls) a lot of attention and development over the next couple of chapters when previously she was just a minor support character...while Touma's moving away from the main protagonist to the minor support role for the gang. What do I mean by this? Touma's still going to be there. He's still going to save people but he isn't going to change or develop in any fashion. Saten, Misaka, Itsuwa, and Kuroko all have major character development before them in which they must overcome their barriers and obstacles. This is called **major vs minor characters**. I'm going to start writing a short litle story writing concept that I incorporated in each chapter as advice for newer writers on how to properly plan out and write a well thought out fic with good development.

It's never wrong to learn more and reach a better understanding of the art of storytelling. I mean a lot of this stuff I'm going to be going through is stuff you can learn in a basic high school/college lit class. Yet I feel like a large portion of fics people that deviate away from the main cannon don't have the basic concepts of a story and thus...lack originality and strength. So I'll do my best (as a teaching major) to help out other writers in this short...well now getting longer...end paragraph by analyzing one concept of storytelling that was used in each chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you always!

UCCMaster


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone UCCMaster,

Wow, I'm so sorry! I got a huge writer's block on how I should approach a certain reunion of childhood friends. But I hope you enjoy this chapter as we'll be diving into a much darker arc very soon.

Now for Reviews

 **Guest** – Thanks for your review! Why didn't Touma try to solve things peacefully? Good question…the only thing I really can say is…while Touma is many things, I don't think he's dense enough to not realize that the police isn't going to save them this time. He's already been hunted by Hound Dog at this point and has a certain awareness to the Dark Side of Academy City. So he might be a bit more hesitant to trust what Anti-skill would do to him…plus everyone is sorta a fight fanatic so even if he did want to resolve things peacefully, he'd be outvoted. Plus I just wanted to show off Saten's new AreoMaster powers.

 **Anonymous** – thanks for your review. While I agree with your view, the story explicitly states that Saten's the equivalent of a Majin…or at least her eye is.

* * *

GROUP Hideout, District 11

"Hello hello, anyone home nya?" A certain blonde spy peeked his head through the entryway. "I'm back and I brought a guest!"

Saten Ruiko groaned as she pulled herself off the couch. Ever since her 'awakening' she had been have constant flashbacks to a past she had never experienced before. She had seen herself in a laboratory, playing with two boys a little older than herself. One she recognized as a pre puberty Accelerator, or Yuriko, as she called him. The other boy she couldn't quite make out but was sure she'd understand sooner or later.

"Ah you're back Tsuchimikado-san." Ruiko turned to see her Onee-san exiting one of the rooms. "Who's your guest?"

"Ah Saten-san, I brought an old friend nya!" The spy announced. With that, he gestured behind him.

Ruiko's eyes widened as a familiar self-proclaiming hero entered the room. His eyes seemed to be looking over her carefully, still in disbelief.

"F-first?" He stammered out, trying not to show his nervousness.

Ruiko didn't know what to do. Her mind was telling her to run away, to keep away from the creep who assaulted her, but her heart, regaining its past memories, was screaming at her. 'Hug the poor numbskull!' It cried, demanding satisfaction.

"Sogiita-kun?" She managed.

The two remained silent for an awkward moment. Finally, the boy spoke. "So you really are alive..."

"Heh heh, yeah I guess I am." Ruiko replied slowly. "Listen, I don't remember everything...and I still...remember you hurting me..."

The boy shoulder's dropped in depression. But the girl wasn't done yet. "But...I understand it was a misunderstanding." She explained, her eyes still not meeting his own. "Yet something in me...it's telling me that you're someone I cared about...and you cared about me...and for me to suddenly disappear on you..."

The raven haired hero shook his head. "Nah, it was fine. I had a few guts to help me through that..."

"But it wasn't!" Ruiko retorted. "It must have hurt for me to disappear on you. Clearly it hurt Yuriko..."

"Nobody calls him that anymore First."

"What I'm trying to say is that I hurt you guys...even if I don't fully remember it...and...I'm sorry." Ruiko finished, starring at her hands in depression. She didn't expect him to forgive her. She didn't expect anything really. But she definitely didn't expect him to sit down next to her pat her on the head. She looked up into his shining eyes in surprise.

"I forgive you, First." The boy replied, "When Spy-san told me that you really were First and explained the entire situation to me, I knew that you really were the gutsy First that I grew up with. So let this hero apologize for his gutless move against you. Then, let's move forward with plenty of-"

"-guts." Saten finished, giving the boy a smile. "Yes, I forgive you."

The two stared at each other's eyes for a long moment before embracing each other in a hug, a reunion much in the making.

"Aww...look at that. Number Seven-sempai really can get the girl. Nya!"

"Yes, they truly do look adorable."

Ruiko broke away from the boy in surprise, turning to the blonde haired spy. "Ehh! It's not what it looks like! We're just two friends reuniting after many years! Right, heh, heh..." She stammered, waving her hands in front of her.

The self-proclaiming hero stared at the girl in confusion. "I thought it was exactly what it looks like."

"Ehh!" Ruiko stared at the boy in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we were apologizing to each other, then we hugged each other. Hugging is full of GUTS!" Somehow, fireworks exploded from behind the couch.

The three stared at the boy in sheer shock...trying to comprehend what just happened. "How?" Itsuwa turned to her younger sister.

"I honestly don't know. This is new on me."

"Nya, you'll get used to it. Especially if you plan to be with him for a long time. Nya!"

"Ehh! What are you talking about?"

"Ahh, it feels good when a young maiden's heart hasn't been lost to the Kami disease!"

"K-kami disease?"

"What's that supposed to be?"

"Nya, that's when a young maiden has been saved by Kami-yan and therefore has her red string of fate snipped away from her. It's very contagious, though you've been incredibly resistant Ruiko-san."

A smirk appeared on the girl's face. "Oh, so this is the disease my Onee-san has caught."

"Ehh? What are you talking about?" Itsuwa's face blushed red.

"Nya, that's right! It's affected maidens of all ages. Lolis, battle nuns, older Onee-samas, Level Fives, sisters, Level Zeroes. It's gone everywhere and steals all the maiden's hearts from us! Nya!"

"Ah, sounds incredibly gutsy!" Cue explosions.

* * *

It had been early evening when the two boys finally left, the Level Five promising to visit soon. The two girls had begun setting up the hideout for the evening meal.

"It was nice to meet up with Sogitta-san again." Ruiko commented as she put out the plates on the table.

Itsuwa smiled in a teasing manner. "Oh I'm sure it was nice...very nice." She cooed, earning her a glare from her younger sister.

"I know what you're thinking. But I don't like him like that...at least not right now." Ruiko stared at her hand. With the tiniest urging, a small breeze began to circulate in her hand. She still couldn't believe that she had powers, much less Level Five powers. She barely had used them since the battle with Anti-skill.

Itsuwa smiled. "I see, you're still adjusting to the fact that you're Number Six. That's fine. I'm sure he'll wait. He strikes me as someone who'd do that and call it Gutsy." The two giggled at the thought of a certain spikey haired hero running up to Ruiko with a bouquet of flowers screaming about guts. And fireworks would be exploding behind him.

"Hey Onee-san?" Ruiko mustered up the courage to ask her something that had been plaguing her mind the entire time.

"Yes Ruiko-chan."

"Did you know?"

The girl stared at her younger sister in confusion. "Did I know what?"

"You know, about me being Number Six." Ruiko stared at her sister, who had froze. "I've been going over my memories, yet for some weird reason, you're not there in any of my previous memories as First."

The older girl remained silent. "Listen Ruiko-chan, I know what you're thinking and I don't think..."

Ruiko furred her brow. "What? That I'm not ready to handle the truth? Well guess what? I've got my memories. I don't remember you ever existing in my life until...after I became Saten Ruiko. In fact, I don't remember ever being Saten Ruiko until...Argh, it's so annoying. I can't tell which of my memories are real and which ones are fake! I remember being First, but I also seem to remember growing up with you and Otouto. So which ones are real? How did I end up with you?"

Itsuwa didn't meet the girl's eyes. "That's classified."

"What?"

"I said that's classified information within the Amakusa Church." Itsuwa repeated, her voice monotonous. "It's none of your business."

The plates previously held by the girl shattered on the ground with a crash.

"What the hell?" Ruiko yelled, "None of my business? None of my business? This is my life we're talking about! How the hell is that none of my business? I have to right to know! How dare you keep that information from me?"

"It isn't my call to make. That was the decisions of the higher ups!" Itsuwa shot back, "Look, try being reasonable with me Ruiko-chan. I love you and I can't bear to see you so broken but some things are better left unsaid." She tried to explain, only to get blasted back by a high pressure stream of air.

"Shut up!" The girl raised her hands towards Itsuwa. "Just shut your mouth! It's lies, I tell you, everything you've told me is a lie! Why won't you tell me?" She screamed, letting off another powerful current of air towards her 'sister'. "Tell me already!"

"Please understand," Itsuwa pleaded, "You're my imouto and I don't want you to be angry but..."

"Tch, lies, all of it! You're probably lying about us being sisters too aren't you?" She spat back. "Come to think of it, we don't even look that much alike. So what's the story there huh? Huh?"

"...I..."

"What's so hard about saying a few words? Maybe a "I'm sorry Ruiko-san, we're not really sisters", or a "We've lying to you the entire time". Start talking already!"

* * *

"Did we really need to buy all these Gekota accessories?" Touma complained as he lugged several heavy bags that should have been filled with groceries.

Misaka shot the boy an annoyed look. "Well, they were on sale and it was a limited time offer so I just had to get them."

"And use my money?" Touma retorted in annoyance.

"Shut up, I didn't have any cash on me and they would have tracked my card back to us so we had to use your money." Said Tsundere retorted.

"...such misfortune."

The two had spent the entire afternoon collecting 'supplies' to help them survive for the week. The current plan was to hold out until the next system scan, where Ruiko could be publicly announced as Number Six, thus protecting her from further harm less the scientists wished to be ousted in the public eye. Thankfully, that would be in a week, so they wouldn't have to wait long. However, Touma had noted out that the GROUP hideout was poorly stocked, mostly just canned coffee and energy bars, and a flashlight but that was beside the point. They needed proper supplies and Misaka had volunteered Touma to go with her to gather the necessary supplies.

The two opened the doors to the hideout.

"Start talking already!"

"Please, this isn't what you want."

"Shut up!"

The two friends found the two sisters facing each other, the older one shielding herself from the powerful currents spewing around the room. Touma's eyes met Misaka's and nodded. He dashed out, raising his right hand to cancel out the power. Right hand met breezes, causing a shattering sound to resound in the room.

"That's enough." Touma's voice brought the two sisters to a halt. "You two need to calm down and sort this out."

"You're sisters. This isn't right." Misaka agreed.

Ruiko scoffed at Misaka. "What do you know about sisters? The only ones you know you push away and try to hide from us."

"Ehh…" The chestnut haired girl froze, taken aback. The younger girl pressed her advantage.

"You heard me. You always act so high and mighty over us, as if you always know the best solution for our issues. You always try to solve our issues for us and yet you can't even handle your own!" She stomped towards Misaka, jabbing her finger. "You think that you have the right to know things and keep things from others. And why? Because you're our "sempai", you're older than us and you're a higher level than us. Well guess what? Now I'm just as high a level as you. And when I'm trying to find out about my past, you won't let me.

"You're a hypocrite! You 'biri biri' things whenever you wish but then lecture us about our own abilities. Well…at least Kuroko and now you're doing it to me too! Step aside Misaka and let me through or else I swear it won't end well." The girl screamed, jabbing her finger at Misaka's chest.

The girl didn't know how to reply. Touma noticed his friend's hesitation and sighed. "Saten-san, please. This isn't the place or time to do this." He walked up briskly to the girl and took her wrist with his right hand, effectively canceling out her abilities. Immediately the breeze lightened, dissipating within a few seconds. "Now, it's been a long day and we're all tired. We can we please save this conversation for another time?"

Itsuwa gave the self proclaimed hero an astonished stare. "Hai, of course Touma-kun."

"I guess." Ruiko pouted before storming off into her room.

Touma sighed as he watched the long haired young girl march off. "Such misfortune," He muttered, before turning to the older sister, "Are you going to be alright?" He asked, placing his hand on the girl's shoulder.

Itsuwa nodded. "I'll be fine. Thank you Touma-kun!" She blushed noticing the boy's hand on her shoulder. "Ehh, your hand is on my shoulder." She pointed out, her face reddening significantly. "I'll be finishing up dinner!" She cried, dashing out of the room.

"Ehh…what was that all about?" Touma wondered aloud, not noticing a certain sparking Biri Biri.

"Gee I wonder what that might be…" The electromaster asked sardonically.

"Ehh, Biri Biri—I mean Misaka, what's going on with you?"

"Shut up!" Lighting arched towards the boy.

"Such Misfortune!"

* * *

District 7

Misaka stomped down the streets, her face red with fury. That boy had the nerve to piss her off at any random time. He would just go in to any random fight head on and resolve to fix it. He even went and took Saten's hand…

Misaka reddened at the thought of the two holding hands. She furiously shook her head, trying to remove the image from her mind. This was all that idiot's fault. If only he didn't make her feel so…angry? Or was it…something else entirely? Honestly, she didn't know, nor did she want to know. All she knew was that…

"M-Misaka-sempai?"

The girl froze, not daring to look behind her. This was exactly what she had been afraid of…being caught by someone who knew her and might report her and the others to the Board. She slowly turned around, ready to attack anything that might stand between her and Saten…

Uiharu Kazari stood before her, her entire body shaking nervously. "Is that you Misaka?" She asked, her voice quivering.

* * *

Right then, the Ruiko x Sogiita ship has just started sailing, the two sisters have their first major fight, Touma shows his abilities to disrupt fights yet remain dense in the situation, and Uiharu get's involved. That's a lot. Next chapter we should be getting some much wanted Accel-kun, Kuroko, and Uiharu.

Btw – which ship would you rather have? Touma x Itsuwa or Touma x Misaka?

Now, today's lesson for story writing: Building a plotline. Every story should have a beginning, middle and end. We call this the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action/resolution. I'll be explaining them as well as filling in the gaps with the first arc of I am Number Six.

Exposition: the intro – this is where we introduce the main cast and typically the main conflict. #6: Intro to the Railgun quartet. Ruiko was first identified as First.

Rising action: The complication – this is where things start speeding up and growing in intensity as we reach the big moment. Ruiko is kidnapped, Misaka, Touma, and Accelerator begin their attacks on the lab

Climax: the big moment – this is where the big reveals happen, the big fight breaks out, or a key bit of information is revealed. Ruiko is rescued. Ruiko is revealed as Number Six.

Falling action: The end of the arc/story, a resolution of sorts. (index is famous for ending their arcs with Touma in a hospital) Ruiko takes out Anti-skill and they all get away.

Hope you writers can take this lesson and improve your own plot lines!

May the Force of the Lord God Almighty be with you Always!

UCCMaster


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